The Garissa county government says the drought will worsen, the picture is "bleak" and steps must be taken urgently to help the population.
It is assessing the situation following the failed rains and plans to act fast
Speaking to the press in Garissa town on Wednesday, Governor Ali Korane said a few areas received rain but not enough.
He said the rains had no significant impact since most water sources never filled up and now are drying up.
"Pasture is depleting fast and soon we will be back to the drawing board," he said.
Drought will worsen between now and October, he said.
Korane said his administration had planned to reallocate funds from different departments to the emergency kitty when the Metrological department said the long rains would fail.
"But when it started to rain, we thought the problem was over — but the rains failed again midway," he said.
The governor said reports from six subcounties "paint a bleak picture".
He said the county wants to address the drought problem early to avoid mobilising resources late, at the height of the drought, as in the past. Korane urged the state and other stakeholders to help.
Garissa Supkem chair Abdullahi Salat urged everyone to help.
He said Salat said there is more rural-urban migration than usually takes place during droughts.
“The signs are not good. Some migrants said their main reason was depleted resources due to drought," Salat said.
He urged the county to take the lead in mitigating the drought. Supplying water, providing food and fodder and buying cattle are the major measures.
“I appeal to my fellow Muslims to support the less fortunate by redirecting our assistance drought victims," Salat said.
The National Drought Management Authority said the drought situation had eased slightly because of the limited rain. But it could get worse from next month, it said.
