Drought-hit counties to get 32,000 bags of livestock feed

The state has started distributing animal feed to pastoralists hardest hit by drought in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Isiolo counties.

Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa said 8,000 bags of livestock feed are ready for dispatch to the four counties.

He said this is in partnership with FAO and WFP which has given Sh380 million for animal feed, cash transfer to the affected families, vaccines and to help increase access to water through boreholes.

“With internal mobilisation of resources and support from development partners, we were able to procure 32,000 bags of livestock feed.

"Each bag has 50kg (range cubes) to support pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the most affected counties,” Wamalwa said.

The CS spoke on Wednesday when he flagged off truckloads of animal feed to the hardest hit counties.

He said the animal feeds will also be going to the Coast in Kilifi and Tana River counties as well as Northern Kenya.

FAO Kenya representative Carla Mucavi said already 10 counties are in the alarm stage and require urgent support.

“Around 2.1 million people are in acute food insecurity and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Projections indicate that this number can increase if immediate actions are not taken.

"The vulnerabilities of the population in ASAL counties, particularly the pastoral and agro-pastoral is exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19," she said.

"This is compounded by two consecutive years of desert locusts that ravaged the vegetation in the region, therefore the lack of pasture, fodder and browse for livestock”.

Mucavi said each of the four Northeastern counties will receive an initial 2,000 bags of animal feed that will target productive herds left behind when the other herds migrate to dry season grazing areas.

“Through the feeds households will continue getting milk for their children and elderly/sick so that these vulnerable groups do not slide into malnutrition. The assistance will equally help households to save on money.

"The feeds will also help save livestock assets in overcoming the drought while maintaining productivity,” she said.

The representative added that the range cubes are a unique supplement formulation that increases productivity and helps maintain the livestock unlike normal feeds.

Wamalwa confirmed that lack of water is one of the biggest challenges that these counties face.

This he said is due to the failure of short rains in October-November-December of 2020 and long rains in March-April-May 2021.

“We have over two million Kenyans who have been affected by the drought and are in urgent need of clean water, food, animal feeds as well as support for their livelihoods,” the CS said.

He said the government has started water tracking through the National Drought Management Authority in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties.

Wamalwa said apart from the animal feeds being dispatched today, the government will provide relief food to Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Garissa, Tana River and Wajir counties next week.  

“We want to assure the affected counties and the vulnerable families that the government will not spare any effort or resources in this response to ensure we cushion them against the devastating effects of this drought,” Wamalwa said.

Besides relief food, water trucking and distribution of animal feeds, the government is also enhancing cash transfer programmes under the Huger Safety Net Programme.

“We have so far released over Sh1.5 billion to the affected households. We will be going to the villages to speak to the beneficiaries, to confirm whether the money has reached the households and how it is helping them in responding to this drought,” he said.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)