Households now survive on a meal a day in Chamwino

Dodoma. Chamwino District has a serious food shortage.

Families take porridge only once a day to survive, The Citizen has learnt.

On Thursday, The Citizen established in a survey that some residents had started queuing at the home of their lawmaker, Mr Joel Mwaka, to beg for food and money.

“I have spent Sh250,000 from my own pocket to assist a number of residents to buy some maize for their families since morning. The situation here is getting out of hand,” Mr Mwaka said.

Chamwino District is among the country’s famine prone areas and during the 2015/16 special report over food security by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development the place was projected among 43 districts in the country with high indicators of food shortage.

Last year, it was reported that famine had severely affected the population in the district to the extent of forcing the majority to survive on roots and armyworms.

In Dabalo Ward, some 80 kilometres from the district headquarters, the situation is more pathetic as most residents lament over the serious scarcity of food.

“The prices of maize has catapulted drastically. Formerly, a tin of maize was sold for Sh12,000 but the same now goes for up to Sh28,000,” said Ms Elisia Chilongani, a resident.

She said the situation has even forced some husbands to abandon their families leaving behind helpless wives and children on empty stomach and with no any assurance of getting daily meal.

“As you can see me, I don’t even have a good memory on when I last enjoyed a really good meal with my children. We are now pushing days through drinking porridge, and on a number of occasions, we also go to bed on empty stomachs,” narrated Ms Faith Shangau, a mother of six.

When contacted, District Commissioner Vumilia Nyamonga distanced herself from the situation saying she was not aware of the shortage. Ms Nyamonga insisted that she was only aware of increasing food prices in the district and that her office has already requested to the regional commissioner’s office for the supply of food at affordable prices.

“I have forwarded requests to the Dodoma Regional Commissioner, Mr Jordan Rugimbana, asking for the permission that authorized food dealers come here and sell food at government indicated prices,” she noted.

SOURCE THE CITIZEN