Tata Chemicals Magadi Launches Community Drought Relief Program in Kajiado

Company responds to biting drought crisis with emergency levels of food insecurity. Food distribution to nearly 2,000 kids in 29 pre-schools within the local community to ensure no children miss school during drought season. Increased water supply by rail between Magadi and Kajiado.

Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited has intervened to mitigate the biting drought crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity in Kajiado County with the provision of relief food and water to the members of the community.

The ongoing drought has severely impacted the Human lives and livestock that are central to the wealth and nutrition of the communities across the Magadi area of Kajiado, wiping out food and pastures leading to the deterioration of health and animals dying within the group ranches Oldonyonyokie, Shompole, Olkiramatian, and Olkeri.

The Company has engaged with the community leaders, to provide relief food to the members of the four group ranches to help in mitigating the effects of the drought. In addition, the company has initiated several other humanitarian measures toward saving lives in the community. It has waived medical fees for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under the age of 5 seeking medical attention at the company’s hospital.

In addition to the food and health programs, the company has also increased the supply of water to the community with an increase in the number of trips made by rail tanks supplying water to the people living along the railway line between Magadi and Kajiado and company-owned water bousers supplying the local community and those living along Magadi road.

The local Chiefs, opinion leaders, and women from the community joined the Company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Subodh Srivastav in flagging off the relief food to the community.

The community leaders expressed their appreciation for the support received from the company during the current difficult time for the community and indeed throughout the century-old mutually beneficial relationship.

Mr. Srivastav said that the local community and Tata are just like a family, which shares in times of need and celebrations. He reassured the women, who are the biggest casualties of the drought that the company stands with them, and that this was just part of the journey to help them mitigate the effects of the drought, promising that the Company will continue to do more for the community.

Senior Chief Ole Saiyanka who was present at the food distribution heaped praise on the Company saying, “We as a community are truly grateful for the support the company is offering the people here in Magadi over the years and particularly now that we are experiencing tough times and suffering from the effects of the biting drought.

I cannot imagine what we would be experiencing now if the company had not come out in our support with free food and water to over four thousand families especially the women and young children who have also benefited from free medical treatment offered by the Company.”

The Senior Chief also noted that the provision of food and water has enabled the families to remain healthy and the children to have at least a meal and remain healthy enough to continue with school.

Our livestock has also been saved from the effects of this drought by the water provided by the Company, further mitigating the possible devastating economic losses and starvation of people.