• The economic impact will be worse this time.
• Swarms have so far been reported in Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Tana River and Garissa.
Image: FAO
Entomological Society of Kenya chairman Muo Kasina has said farmers are likely to have more crop damage this year due to second wave of desert locust invasion.
He said this will be worse than the first, which infested more than 27 counties last year. Kasina told the Star on the phone that during the first invasion, there was a lot of vegetation due to good rains.
“The situation was manageable, but now there has been minimal rain, so when the swarms land somewhere, they finish the crops. The tree leaves have started falling and the swarms do not eat dry leaves but green vegetation,” he said.
The entomologist, who is also the National Sericulture Research Centre director at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, said without the green vegetation, the swarms feed on crops, meaning the economic impact will be worse this time.
The first desert locust invasion in Kenya was reported on December 28, 2019, in Mandera county, while the second invasion was first reported on November 9, 2020, in parts of the coastal region.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, swarms have so far been reported in five counties — Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Tana River and Garissa.
FAO locust watch released on December 30 indicated that immature swarms from the north first arrived in the northeast on December 21, the southwest of Mandera.
“In the following days, more swarms arrived along the Dawa River on the Ethiopian border West of Mandera and further south near El Wak and the Somalia border. Some of the swarms are moving westwards to Wajir and reached eastern Marsabit county on the 27 December,” the update stated.
The UN agency further cited reports of cross-border movements near Moyale. A few of the swarms are maturing.
“More swarms are expected from the north that will spread to northern and central counties. Elsewhere, hopper bands from earlier breeding are present in Marsabit, along the Tana River near Garissa, and on the coast near Lamu,” it said.
The organisation said rains in some parts of the country such as Kitui have hindered control efforts. It, however, noted that heightened ground and aerial surveillance, as well as control measures, are being undertaken.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
Image: FAO