• Just three week ago, the region was badly in need of assistance following a prolonged spell of drought.
• Farmers say they are incurring huge losses, which leave them as poor.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
They say when it rains, it pours. The saying resonates with what is happening in the three Northeastern counties.
Barely three weeks ago, the region was badly in need of assistance following a prolonged dry spell. Out goes the drought, in comes flooding. The aftermath is traumatic — the same old story.
Residents are caught up in an oscillation of the devastating effects of dry and rainy seasons. They are doomed when it is dry and doomed when it rains. In the past week, it has rained almost daily. They have literally got more than they prayed for. It’s disastrous and farmers are angry about the situation.
Across Garissa, Wajir and Mandera, 90 per cent of residents rely on livestock farming for survival. Since the rains started, however, their livelihoods are under threat.
Animals have been swept away in their thousands by raging floodwaters. In Wajir alone, more than 6,000 animals have died. This is according to a rapid assessment report by the National Drought Management Authority dated October 12.
In Mandera, more than 5,000 livestock have died. This is according to Mandera county chief officer for livestock Shamsi Mohamuda in a report dated October 12.
The situation is scary and many residents could be condemned to poverty should they continue losing their livestock. They say they are incurring huge losses and have called for help to break the cycle of animal deaths during dry and rainy seasons. They are helpless and expressed their frustrations at the slow response by the authorities.
And as if that untold suffering was not enough, transport has become another nightmare. The floods have destroyed huge sections of roads, thus interfering with the movement of people and their animals.
The Mandera-Wajir-Nairobi road has been left in ruins. Motorists can longer use it.
Herder Abdi Hassan of Elnur Tulatula, Eldas, Wajir, told The Star he has lost 200 goats in the past week and has only 50 left. Another 250 died during the drought.
“Who doesn’t know that, as residents of Northeastern, we depend on livestock keeping to sustain ourselves economically? The animals mean everything to us. Without them, we can’t survive. Unfortunately, the people in government have never adequately addressed this problem that has become a thorn in our flesh.
“We always pray for the rain, but when God finally answers our prayers, we always have some sort of fear of incurring huge losses ... as you can see,” he said, pointing at a dead goat in his compound. He had yet to dispose of the carcase.
Jelle Ibrahim from Hadado, Wajir South, is considering quitting livestock farming. He has lost 120 goats and sheep since the rains began.
“I was brought up knowing livestock was our only source of income. That’s the only business I know. As much as I want to change and try something different, it might be a bit difficult for me,” he told The Star.
A report on the prevailing situation said, “Most of the goats and sheep that died had signs of respiratory distress. From the few postmortems that have been conducted, the lungs were coagulated, hepatised and enlarged with straw-coloured exudates.”
Elnur Tulatula MCA Abdullahi Issack termed it unfortunate to lose the livestock that had survived the prolonged drought. He blamed their tribulations on lack of preparedness by the authorities. Adequate measures should be in place, including having veterinary officers on standby to attend to animals when they fall sick, he said.
“For the last 20 years, we’ve been having this problem when livestock feed on greens. After a long period of drought, they develop complications and end up dying. Why have the researchers and vets not tried to establish what the real problem is and come up with solutions to avoid these huge losses that farmers Incur every now and then?” the ward rep asked.
Diseases that come with the rain include Foot-and-Mouth disease, peste des petits ruminants, Rift Valley Fever and anthrax and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia.
Wajir county director of veterinary services George Kiprono said his department is not to blame. He said they have always done their best to tackle the problem “the best way we can”.
He said that after a prolonged dry spell, animals are weak and emaciated and that compromises their immunity so they cannot withstand the downpours that follow. Kiprono said another reason leading to the deaths was constipation and bloating. Lack of proper housing and extreme change of temperatures have also been cited.
Kenya Livestock Marketing Council chairman Dubat Amey regretted that the county and national governments have never given the livestock subsector the required support to enable them to get optimal returns.
He said the proposed sector laws being reviewed will make it mandatory for farmers to treat their animal and outline the roles of the farmer, the government and non-state actors on matters animal health.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO