Women, children and the elderly in Samburu are trooping to the only water point in the county at Opiroi to quench their thirst.
The group, which is the most affected among more than 54,000 residents of Samburu North and East sub-counties, are relying on the only source of water in the face of serious hunger and drought.
Opiroi is a sandy area that is blessed with underground water. It is here that most of the residents quench their thirst, at least with the diminishing hope that help will come some day later.
With the hopes of the many women, children and the elderly resting with well-wishers that they expect to rescue them with food and water,
the situation has only raised the levels of despair among them.
In the face of the despair, lives of residents and livestock in Baragoi, South Horr, Barseloi, Suyan, Loonjorin, Opiroi area, Nachola and many other parts of the county are endangered.
In Samburu East, the most affected parts are Wamba, Mugur, Londuokwe, Ngaroni, Ngilai and Sereolipi where young men have to go out in search for pasture and water for their animals.
It is reported that most of the affected persons line up on the roads asking for food supplies from any well-wisher who might pass by.
"We have been living in this condition for the last two weeks. We have no one to help us or support us with food and water," a resident said.
There is imminent danger of an outburst of conflict as differences among the groups scrambling for the already scarce resources escalate.
"My husband left with our camels to go and look for pasture and water four days ago and he is yet to return. Some of our old family members are left in the Manyatta’s without food or water," one of the affected women said.
Pauline Nasieku, a pregrant woman and mother of a 2 year-old, said that she spent more than three nights to reach Opiroi.
At Loonjorin area in the northern parts of Samburu, some 100 kilometres away from the area, a team of Morans are drilling a well in search of water for their livestock and for domestic use.
"We cannot wait to die of thirst or sit and watch our livestock die because we have no water, we decided to come here and look for a solution," said John Lenolkirina.
The residents are now calling upon the government and well wishers to come to their aid.
They said that those keeping camels are depending on the animal's milk as the only way to survive.
A number of youth and men from the pastoralist communities from the neighboring Marsabit, Isiolo, Baringo and Turkana
counties have been forced to move for up to 120 kilometres in search for water and pasture.
Samburu county, working with with the national government under the National Drought Management Authority, had promised to supply of relief food to the affected families.
This was to start early this week but is yet to be actualised as more people stream to Opiroi in wait.
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