• Official says consignment will cater for at least 20,000 at-risk animals. One 50kg bag will support one cow for a month.
• KDF has provided four trucks to transport the pellets, as well as a 20,000-litre water boozer to take water to Garbatula and Sericho wards.
More than 50,000 people and 100,000 animals in Isiolo are in urgent need of relief food, the National Drought Management Authority has said.
NDMA coordinator Lordman Lekalkuli raised alarm over the worsening drought situation in the county after flagging off 6,000 bags of livestock pellets for distribution in the most affected Cherab, Garbatula, Kinna and Sericho wards.
He said in his office on Wednesday that the feed will help milk-producing animals and the emaciated ones that have been left at home as stronger animals were driven to distant places in search of water and pasture.
The consignment, Lekalkuli said, will adequately cater for at least 20,000 at-risk animals. One 50kg bag will support one cow for a month, he said.
Lekalkuli said one cow requires two kilogrammes of pellets per day, while sheep and goats require only 400 grammes per day.
All the 10 wards are affected. The authority will soon flag off another consignment forNgaremara, Chari, Oldonyiro and Burat wards, targeting at least 100,000 animals, he said.
The Kenya Defence Forces has provided four trucks to help transport the pellets and a 20,000-litre water boozer to take water to Garbatula and Sericho wards.
The distribution will be done with help from the county government’s livestock department officials and the national government administration officers."
Isiolo elders had faulted both the county and national governments, accusing them of failing to act when drought threatened to wipe out livestock, hence, risking the livelihood of pastoralist communities.
Led by the Somali Council of Elders chairman Abdikadir Shariff Abdullahi, elders both levels of government should swiftly cushion pastoralist communities from hunger.
Shariff said the majority of livestock have been moved to Laikipia and Meru, while others have been moved to Kom along the Isiolo-Marsabit border. Conflicts frequently arise during droughts, leading to loss of lives and property.
The elders also called for help from the county veterinary department in the drought-stricken areas. They said that despite their lack of knowledge regarding animal health, they are forced to buy over-the-counter medication for sick animals with weak immunity.
Edited by R.Wamochie