Lamu approves drought report paving way for mitigation

The Lamu County Steering Group committee has adopted the Drought Rapid Assessment report and sectoral response plan.

The study tracks the course of the drought in Lamu in an attempt to mitigate its effects on local farmers and pastoralists.

According to the report, the drought has exposed children to labour, early or forced marriages, truancy (where children flee their homes), starvation and lack of food, rampant poaching, increasing human-wildlife conflict and overflow of cattle from neighbouring counties, among others.

In areas where there is a severe water shortage, the report recommends expanding water trucking services, providing fuel for boreholes, and constructing a desalination plant.

Drought mitigation efforts sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization in Lamu will benefit 750 agro-pastoral households.

Speaking at the meeting at the county commissioner’s office in Mokowe, Deputy Governor Abdulhakim Aboud said they had begun providing relief food to vulnerable families in need, and that the exercise will be expanded to the remaining wards across the county.

Stakeholders from Lamu county government, Kenya Red Cross and the National Drought Management Authority were also present. 

Lamu county commissioner Irungu Macharia underlined the importance for increased efforts to help smallscale farmers and pastoralists who are suffering from the drought.

The adoption of the report paves way for the NDMA Lamu office to start a Sh30 million slaughter-to-destock programme targeting at least 10,000 livestock in Lamu county that risk dying due to the drought.

The slaughter starts early this month to avert more livestock deaths due to the situation.

The programme also targets at least 25,000 pastoralist households for the National Livestock Insurance project set to start in December.

There is also a commercial off-take programme targeting at least 15,000 livestock mostly cattle in areas hard hit by the drought.

Lamu NDMA county coordinator Mohamed Dahir said at least 3,000 cattle will be slaughtered and used to feed hunger-stricken residents, while another 10,000 will be bought from affected owners under the  programme.

At least 10,000 livestock that will be purchased from locals will be transferred to other counties and government ranches for their health improvement.

“The ones we slaughter will go straight into feeding hunger-stricken people in these areas,” he said.

The NDMA county boss said each cow going for slaughter will be purchased at between Sh8000 to 12,000.

Livestock for the commercial off-take will be purchased for Sh18,000 per head.

Meanwhile, the county government-led relief food drive is underway, as is the Lamu Water and Sewerage Company’s emergency water trucking initiative, which has been distributing water to affected towns.