Thousands of Marsabit residents are facing starvation and are in urgent need of relief food, the National Drought Management Authority has said.
The county has seven subcounties: Moyale, North Horr, Loiyangalani, Laisamis, Marsabit North, Sololo and Marsabit Central. All seven are affected.
The NDMA's county communications officer, John Ougo, said the drought is serious and called for urgent interventions.
He said the situation is expected to worsen in two weeks. Ougo said the prolonged dry weather has depleted pasture and water resources in most grazing areas.
Livestock is the main source of livelihood for the pastoralist communities. The animals no longer yield milk because of the lack of enough food.
“The body condition of animals is also on the decline, with herders migrating with their livestock, apart from camels, in search of pasture, leaving behind the elderly, children and women,” the report states.
Ninety-five per cent of 110 boreholes across the county are operational, but water levels in shallow wells have gone down and water pans have dried up.
The report states that the nutritional status of children below the age of five is stable but could deteriorate if the predicted drop in food intake continues.
Marsabit Central subcounty has about 45,000 residents in its 11 locations, all of whom are in dire need of food aid.
Deputy county commissioner Joseph Nyakwara said the situation was bad but the government is making arrangements to provide relief food to the affected.
NDMA county coordinator Golicha Guyo said the authority will keep residents informed about the drought situation and on how best they could cope.
He called for collaboration between the national and county governments, and other agencies to cushion residents.
Marsabit is among five counties which the meteorological department has projected will experience a severe dry spell from this month. Others are Garissa, Isiolo, Mandera and Wajir.
