Ekalale Lopusibok, a Turkana County resident disclosed a heart-breaking tale of how she lost her mother, Eribo Amaling’a, on Wednesday due to severe starvation.
Speaking to the Daily Nation, the crestfallen lady revealed that her mother had succumbed to the drought that had ravaged their county.
“She did not die because she was sick or old. She died because she could not get food,” Lopusibok asserted.
Marked with red ochre on her face to symbolise mourning, Lopusibok stated that her late mother had gone for 10 days without food leading up to her death.
The mourning daughter’s last-ditch attempt to find food just to save her mothers’ life saw her cover approximately 20 kilometres to Kaikor centre where she was able to attain a kilogram of maize flour.
She quickly rushed back but it proved to be too late, as her mother barely managed to take two spoonfuls of the porridge she had hurriedly prepared before passing away.
“She took only two spoonfuls of porridge and collapsed. She was too weak to eat,” a sombre Lopusibok revealed.
Residents of her village then came together and helped her bury her mother on Thursday morning.
The villagers went on to divulge that Ms Amaling’a’s death was the 8th during a month that has seen the village that shares a border with South Sudan in constant mourning.
Recent remarks by Deputy President, William Ruto, that no one had died from hunger rubbed the locals the wrong way.
“Those saying that no one has died are speaking from the comfort of their homes, where they have plenty of food. How can we even think of lying? What will we get from it if we lie that people are dying from hunger?” James Ng’orupus, a local posed to the Daily Nation.
Turkana Governor, Josphat Nanok reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday, following constant damnation over how he has handled the hunger crisis ravaging his county.