Hundreds of children are dropping out of school due to hunger as drought ravages the lower parts of Meru county.
According to the National Drought Management Authority report learning has been greatly affected in the semi-arid areas of Meru county.
The regions include Igembe Central, Igembe South, Igembe North, Tigania East, Tigania West and Buuri subcounty.
Schools in the affected areas have also reported a decrease in enrollment for both boys and girls in the current term, across all three levels of education.
Drought Information officer Lolokote Sainyugu said the decline in enrollment and retention of learners specifically in ECDE centres, has been attributed to the stoppage of Uji programme in more than 95 per cent of schools.
Sainyugu who spoke at the NDMA office in Igembe South on Friday said there are no active school feeding programmes.
He said this is contrary to other times when the expanded school meal programme and community support in school meal programme was practised in some schools.
The official said the food and nutrition insecurity has been due to cumulative effects of below normal rainfall in three consecutive seasons.
He said this includes the long and short rains of 2021 and the long rains in 2022.
“Other drivers include insecurity and human wildlife conflict, where in some parts of Buuri constituency and Igembe North, crops were destroyed by elephants,” Sainyugu said.
The official also said the cost of water is high in the agro-pastoral livelihood zones such as Kachiuru, Kamweline, Kilera, Nginyo and Kithetu in Igembe North subcounty.
He said vendors are selling water at Sh50 per 20 litre jerrycan due to drying up of surface water sources.
Sainyugu further said livestock has been greatly affected as crops dried up early in the season and had not formed adequate dry matter.
“Due to the situation farmers are forced to sell their livestock, to meet food requirements at home,” he said.
The official said others have gone to an extent of encroaching into the Meru National Park, to get pastures for their livestock.
He urged the county and national governments to intervene especially in areas where drought is at an alarming phase such as Kachiuru, Kamweline and Kithetu in Igembe North.
Sainyugu said they ought to construct more dams and introduce school feeding programmes, to keep learners in school.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
