Kitui faces hunger due to poor rains as maize price hits Sh62 per kilo

Kitui Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani at the Kitui showground /MUSEMBI NZENGU

The food security situation in Kitui county has entered the stress phase, with households holding only about 15 per cent of the required maize reserves, a new food and nutrition assessment report shows.

The survey, carried out in July by a multisectoral team led by the National Drought Management Authority, indicates that many households are being forced to spend more on food as their reserves deplete.

“Food stocks are low. Many families face food insecurity. Household reserves were expected to last at least one month, but families are now buying maize from markets for daily consumption instead of stocking,” the report states.

The report ties the food shortages to the poor performance of the March-April-May long rains. In Kitui East’s Malalani area, a kilogram of maize was retailing at Sh62, up from the long-term average of Sh56, with fears of further increases due to poor harvests.

Although the rains started on time in mid-March, they subsided abruptly in late April, leaving crops to wilt under water stress. Kitui county received rainfall for only 40 days, instead of the usual 60.

As a result, maize production dropped sharply, with crop failure estimated at 40 to 45 per cent. The report also highlights water stress, noting that most sources are at low levels, with supplies projected to last only two months instead of the normal three to four.

Livestock are being watered every three to four days instead of daily, while trekking distances to water sources have stretched from the usual maximum of six kilometres to between 15 and 20 kilometres.

The Greater Horn of Africa is bracing for another season of hardship, with the latest forecast warning that below-normal rains between October and December will heighten food insecurity, worsen malnutrition and fuel conflicts over scarce resources.

The Food Security and Nutrition Working Group for East and Central Africa says rainfall deficits are expected in southern Ethiopia, Somalia, eastern Kenya and Tanzania. The late onset of rains in some areas is also projected to shorten the growing season.