Swarms sighted in Mandera last week are tree locusts, not the more destructive desert locusts, Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga has said.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, he said scouting teams on the field have been trained to distinguish between desert and tree locusts. Tree locusts are common in the country, Boga said.
“We have since confirmed that what was reported in Mandera are tree locusts. Tree locusts fly differently. Every year, we have tree locusts, and we know how to manage them. We have a team that deals with tree locusts," the PS said.
He said this time they are focusing on desert locusts as tree locusts do not cause as much damage as the desert ones.
The PS said, however, swarms are still being reported in Turkana and Samburu counties, which are vast and have some of the most uninhabited spaces.
“So there are reported swarms here and there, but we are remaining vigilant. We have enough chemicals so even if they decide to come back in December, we will be ready,” Boga said.
He said they had received other pictures from Kwale residents who were worried they had sighted desert locusts. “There is no way we can have desert locusts in Kwale county because of the wind movement, those are tree locusts,” Boga said.
The PS said every county has scouts who have e-locust prediction reporting tool. The scouts do not report on tree locusts to avoid creating confusion.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's desert locust watch, aerial control operations continue against several immature swarms prevailing in Northwest Kenya.
“Some adults are starting to mature, suggesting the possibility of a generation of breeding once the short rains start in October. On 22 August, at least one swarm crossed into Northeast Uganda. Aerial and ground control operations are in progress,” the locust watch stated.
Edited by A.N
