Over 200,000 Kwale residents facing hunger due to drought

The drought situation at the Coast is worsening by the day, Kenya Red Cross officials have said.

The agency said at least five coastal counties of Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River, Lamu and Taita Taveta have been hard hit by the dry spell.

In Kwale county, for example, more than 200,000 residents are in dire need of food and water. 

Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has called for urgent food aid to help the victims. 

She said the drought is being witnessed in Kinango, Samburu and Lunga-Lunga subcounties. Some parts of Msambweni and Matuga are also hard-hit.

Achani said her administration also wants to put up dams and start a livestock off-take programme to help residents.

She said the county requires more than Sh217 million to effectively combat the drought situation in the region.

"We have made interventions, but that is not enough. The situation is getting worse and we now need extra assistance," Achani said.

She was speaking on Tuesday at Kwale county headquarters in Matuga after chairing the county steering committee to assess the drought situation in the region.

According to Achani, the short-term intervention would be urgently supported by additional water boozers to supplement the existing ones in distributing water to the affected areas.

She said some of the county's major dams and water boreholes that used to sustain both residents and animals are drying up due to the prolonged drought.

One of the dams is Nyalani, which supports thousands of residents, is slowly drying of because of the dry weather.

According to Achani, they need at least Sh80 million from either the national government or donors to expand and rehabilitate the Nyalani dam.

The governor said Kwale county also needs another Sh20 million for repair of boreholes.

“The dams are drying up. Boreholes cannot be used anymore because most need to be repaired. It is our fear that soon we would soon start losing our animals,” she said.

Last year, thousands of livestock died because of drought, forcing farmers to incur huge losses in the region.

Achani said they are appealing for help to raise Sh110 million for the livestock off take and feeding programme.

"We need Sh50 million to buy the livestock and feed hungry residents, and another Sh60 million to purchase animal feeds," she said.

Achani said the county would need a further Sh7 million for animal vaccination and treatment programme.

Learning activities in school are likely to be interfered with in the hard-hit areas because children are starving.

Some school children are reported to be moving with their parents in search of food and water.

Achani said there is an urgency of starting feeding programmes in learning institutions to keep children in schools and create a conducive learning environment.

She said some donors have pledged to assist, but the donations have been delayed. She called for other partners to intervene.

Kwale county commissioner Gideon Oyagi said both county and national government would do what it takes to ensure residents get help and no one starves to death because of hunger.

He said appropriate plans have been put in place to make sure help and food donations reach the targeted people.

"We have made some committees at subcounty level that will be chaired by deputy county commissioners and chiefs who will be assisted by county village administrators," Oyagi said.

The administrator told the residents to be responsible and protect government property, warning that any destruction attracts fines and jail terms to the perpetrators.

He urged residents to report to the Kenya Wildlife Service for actions any time wild animals invade people's homes for action.

(edited by Amol Awuor)