Children in Kajiado County are becoming more malnourished due to food insecurity occasioned by prolonged dry spells.
Abdi Omar, director of the National Disaster Management Agency, reported that the malnutrition shot up to 17 per cent as at January 18.
Omar said a survey by the health sector found one in every 10 children is malnourished and that vulnerability will likely increase as the drought persists.
He spoke on Wednesday when he led a delegation of United Nations agencies in a meeting with Governor Joseph ole Lenku at his office.
They included the World Food Programme, Unicef, the Food Agricultural Organization,
Red Cross, World Vision and Feed the Children.
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WFP’s country representative Annalisa Conte and FAO’s Gabriel Rugalema spoke during the briefing in Kajiado.
The agencies raised concerns that the drought is being overlooked yet many families are suffering.
Areas most at risk were identified as Magadi and Mosiro in Kajiado West, Matapato North and South in
Kajiado Central,
Lenkisim and Eselenkei in
Kajiado South and
areas of Kenyewa Poka ward in
Kajiado East.
The meeting was held for the Governor to be briefed
on the drought situation ahead of the release of a full report on Friday.
The report's highlights include an analysis of markets and trade in Kajiado. It
says all markets are operating normally but the prices of maize have risen by 30.4 per cent, a kilogramme going for Sh60.
It also says the prices of goats remained relatively stable at around Sh2,600 over a period of two years.
“Goat farmers were more food secure than those with cattle only,” Omar said.
Lenku said malnutrition rates went up among children after pastoralists in Kajiado West, parts of Central and East sub-counties moved to Kyulu areas with their livestock.
“The situation indeed is dire. Women and children were left at home as the livestock moved out in search of grass. They cannot even get access to goat’s milk."
Related: Kajiado drives elephants back to Amboseli after Ole Lenku's ultimatum
Drought has also plagued Josphat Nanok's Turkana county, where at least 2,000 pastoralists have been affected.
Areas of concern, as a result of heat waves, include Nawontos and Oropoi villages near the border with Uganda.
Dennis Esekon, a project officer with Kakuma-based Lotus Kenya, said its intervention through a German organisation will see poor families helped.
"Over 2,000 pastoralists in Turkana West
have benefited with each animal being sold at Sh3,000," he said.
"Pastoralists with emaciated livestock have been advised to sell them for slaughtering and take the meat for food."
More than 1,500 goats have been slaughtered so far.
Some of the residents have cross over to Uganda with their animals
James Ejore, a pastoralist from Nawontos, is one of those who sold his animals.
"The money will help me buy food as I wait for the rains to improve. I will also pay part of my children's school fees," he said, adding he could also buy livestock later.
In Oropoi, thousands of families have received a sum of Sh5,740 through the drought resilience programme that inclued cash transfers for the old and vulnerable.
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