State to shift approach to drought, create lasting solutions – ASAL PS

Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Principal secretary Idris Dokota has said that the government is working to change policies and approaches to drought in the country.

He said the changes will change from responsive to prior planning so as to create permanent solutions to recurring droughts in the country.

Dokota said that the government will not keep on distributing relief food and water tracking year in and year out.

“What we have been doing is responding to emergencies which is a short-term plan while drought has been with us for years. The government is going to find a way how to plan in advance to tackle drought situations so that we will not just wake up to respond to emergencies,” Dokota said.

The PS was speaking at Dukanotu primary school in Tana River County on Wednesday during a relief food distribution exercise to drought-affected persons.

He further said that the government will invest in water infrastructure by innovating ways of harvesting rainwater, constructing mega dams and drilling boreholes.

“Our main problem has been lack of water. If we solve the water problem, we will have solved 60 per cent of the economic problems of our people,” he added.

The PS said that the government will be distributing 3,600 bags of rice and 2,000 bags of beans to all affected persons across all the sub-counties of Tana River.

The government is also introducing a school feeding programme to make sure that all children who are supposed to be in school remain in school.

Tana River County is at an alarming stage with at least 158,000 people in dire need of relief food while the malnutrition rate for children is at 25 per cent.

The latest report by the Kenya food security steering group shows that the number of Kenyans affected by drought and hunger has gone up from 4.2 million to six million.

The NDMA in its January 2023 bulletin paints a worrying picture in 23 counties that have been classified as either in the alarm or alert phase of the drought.

Counties on the alarm phase include Kilifi, Mandera Marsabit Samburu, Turkana Wajir, Isiolo, Kitui, and Kajiado, while 13 counties Garissa, Lamu, Narok, Tana River, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Baringo, Laikipia, Meru, Taita Taveta, West Pokot, Nyeri and Kwale are in the alert drought phase.