Kitui and Samburu to get Sh300m to fight drought

Farmers and pastoralists in drought-ravaged Kitui and Samburu counties will benefit from Sh300 million climate change mitigation and adaptation funding.

The funding will be channelled through Strengthening Drought Resilience for Small Holder Farmers and Pastoralists (DRESS EA) project. The project is being financed by Adaptation Fund.

The project is being implemented in Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti and Uganda, with Kenya being allocated Sh300 million.

Of the Sh300 million, Kitui will get Sh120 million. This was revealed during a consultative meeting between the Kitui County Climate Change Unit and a team from the national government’s climate change directorate on Monday.

Environment ministry deputy director Samuel Muchiri said the initiative will provide targeted communities with alternative income-generating activities to deal with the effects of climate change.

“Besides implementing water projects, this project will also promote adoption of pottery, beekeeping, poultry keeping and making of energy saving stoves, briquettes and interlocking bricks to insulate the affected beneficiaries,” he added.

Muchiri said only Kitui and Samburu counties have been selected to benefit from the four-year project, which will be implemented in close partnership with the respective county administrations.

Kitui County Climate Change Unit chairman Benjamin Mukulo said the programme will target communities in Yatta/Kwa Vonza and Kyome/Thaana wards in Kitui Rural and Mwingi West subcounties respectively.

Assistant director for environment Dominic Mumbu said he was optimistic the project would leave an invaluable mark on the realisation of Kitui’s climate change adaptation agenda.

He said the programme is in tandem with Governor Julius Malombe’s pre-election manifesto.

Mumbu, the national chairperson of the caucus of directors in charge of environment and climate change in the 47 counties urged counties to set up specific departments to address climate change.

Kitui National Drought Management Authority’s assistant director Wilson Oduor said the county is in a state of serious food insecurity.

He said the county was in dire need of humanitarian assistance having suffered five consecutive failed rainy seasons.

Oduor said the DRESS EA project will help residents to cope with the prevailing drought situation.

A report from the National Drought Management Authority indicates that Kitui and Samburu are among the nine counties in the alarm phase of drought.

The others are Kilifi, Mandera, Marsabit, Turkana, Wajir, Isiolo,and Kajiado.