Garissa Governor Nathif Jama has commended NGOs operating in the area for coming to the aid of drought stricken residents even as he called for doubling of effort to mitigate against the same.

Speaking when he hosted a team from Alight Horn of Africa who paid him a courtesy call in his office, Jama said that it was encouraging to see more NGOs come on board and support residents in need.

“It is really encouraging for a new NGO to start off so well particularly at a time when such support is required. As you know we are facing a terrible drought. The rains have not come through as expected and so such support even if small is always welcome,” he said.

Alight is a humanitarian non profitable organisation operating in the Horn of Africa in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia where its large operations are.

Jama said that moving forward he hopes to see more of these kinds of institutions and NGOs which come to add real values to the communities.

He said the immediate focus should be on life-saving interventions including water, food and retaining of children in schools emphasising on the need to have much more coordinated effort from all the players that will ensure that all those who are affected are assisted.