Pain and despair as farmers lose livestock to drought in Kinango

Charo Kayaa stands aloof, staring at his two cows kicking their last.

The animals have gone without food and water for about a week.

With despair written all over his face, Kayaa explained how he has lost about 20 cows since the onset of the dry spell in Chengoni-Samburu area of Kinango in Kwale county.

The Silaloni Dam, which was the only hope for pastoralists in the region, has also dried up. 

Kayaa and other herders have been trekking for more than 15km every day to look for food and water, but all in vain. 

About 26,000 people of Chengoni-Samburu area are affected by the drought.

It is about 1pm, and the sun continues to scorch mercilessly in the village of Silaloni in Kinango. This has been the situation for the past 12 months.

Kayaa, 36, has been staring at his animals motionlessly as they fight for life. For 30 minutes the animals have been panting, fighting for breath due to hunger and thirst.

“The animals have not had food or water for about four days continuously. The area is all dried up. Last year, I had over 100 cattle, but right now I’m left with less than 80 heads. I don’t know how many more I will loose before the rains come,” Kayaa said.

The Star caught up with him at the dried up Silaloni Dam, trying to dig up the area in search of water that might have been trapped underground.

Kayaa, who hails from Tarakwa village, which is 15 kilometres away from the dam, has been trekking every day to this area to look for water for the animals.

He said life has been difficult as they are forced to search for water for their own consumption and for the animals.

“Due to the drought situation in the area, the animals do not produce milk, which we could sell or use at our homes. At the same time, water is so scarce that you do not know whether to give it to the animals or let the family quench their thirst first,” he said.

Kayaa said he is ready to sell off his cattle to the national government after getting wind of the Sh1.5 billion livestock destocking programme.

Mrisa Idza Ngala, a 43-year-old farmer from Kadzamoyo village, said he had prepared his farm with the hopes that rains will come in September.

However, two months down the line, the skies have “refused to open.”

Ngala said they are being forced to buy water that is being distributed by water boozers in the area, where a jerrican goes for about Sh5.

“However, the water boozers are stationed far away from the village. You are forced to pay up to Sh50 to the boda boda riders to bring you a single jerrican,” he said.

About 10km from Silaloni village, Tsuma Chiti Jimbalo has walked more than 20km from Mwangaza village to Kamole piped water point in Chanzou village.

“I have walked for more than 20km to fetch water here. This is the third consecutive day that we have piped water coming out. For about one month, the pipes had gone dry,” Jimbalo said.

The 41-year-old father of nine said they are sometimes forced to walk for almost 100 km in search of this precious commodity.

He said a water pan in their village, which had been constructed by the Kwale government, ran dry three months ago.

“We have been forced to take showers once or twice a week. Our school-going children only wash their face, feet and arms before going to school,” Jimbalo said.

He said that they are in dire need of relief food and called on the national and the county government to intervene.

Over 130,000 people in Kwale county are facing starvation occasioned by the drought that has affected 23 counties in the country.

On Wednesday, the national government donated 1,200 (50kg) bags of rice and another 2,000 (50kg) of beans to Kwale residents.

The event was presided over by government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna and his host, Governor Salim Mvurya.

“The government has set aside Sh3.6 billion to support 23 counties facing drought, with food rations for the months of October to December. The weather-man has stated that we are staring at a looming drought situation in the next three months,” Oguna said.

He said that the national government had set aside Sh350 million to supply clean drinking water across the 23 drought-affected counties in the country.

“A further Sh1.5 billion has been set aside to buy livestock from the herders in these counties. We have also partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation who have given us Sh300 million to provide food for the livestock in these counties,” he said.

He said that no person had died from the drought situation, adding that the government is working towards expanding the Hunger Safety Net Programme to other counties.

Under the programme, about 100,000 families from Mandera, Turkana, Wajir and Marsabit counties receive Sh5, 400 every two months.

Mvurya called on the national government to extend the food aid programme for at least six months.

“More people in the county are facing starvation, and even if it rains today, we still have to wait for several months before we harvest,” he said. 

(edited by Amol Awuor)