The Level of Efficacy of Christian Faith – Based Organizations in the Management of Relief Food in Kilifi County, Kenya

Faith – Based Organizations engage in a wide variety of activities beyond worship, most of which provide services and immediate benefit to needy individuals and families around them and beyond. With the changing world and the increase in disasters across the world, Faith – Based Organizations have come in focus when it comes to charity. Many governments and other relief agencies that take part in disaster mitigation are look on as Faith – Based Organization takes the lead. This has been instigated by governments being overwhelmed by relief operations during disaster response and also lack of transparency in the management of relief aid. This is part of the study carried in Kilifi County in the year 2014. Kilifi County is periodically affected by drought and also most of the people live below the poverty line. The Obligation and System Management theories guided this study. The findings revealed that apart from being closer to the community and always being in touch with its needs, Faith – Based Organizations are in the process of empowering the community to be self – reliant during drought season by building water pans per sub – location and providing seeds with the aim of reducing relief food dependency. The findings also reveal that relief food agencies should embrace Food for Work or Cash for Asset especially in arid and semi arid area. Further results point out that Christian Faith – Based Organizations are invaluable partners in disaster response and are model agents in the management of relief food aid. The involvement of the beneficiaries in the management of relief food is among the suggestions to ensure effective management. The paper recommends that experts in emergency management, especially in response to drought brought into the disaster arena should be able to communicate fully and openly with community leaders in order to gain the support of the community. Also there is need to integrate the community in all the activities with the aim of empowering them.