Samburu county commissioner Henry Wafula has warned his officers of dire consequences should they be found stealing and selling relief food.
The warning came after residents of Raraiti, Samburu East constituency, said they had not received any relief food from the government.
"Our animals are dying, our morans are being killed and livestock stolen by bandits yet we hear there is relief food. Who receives it?" an elder from the area asked.
But Wafula said the county has received relief food from the government.
"We have received food even though it is not sufficient enough for all the affected people," he said.
He said the food will be distributed after the distribution committee decides on the best method to use.
"After having a discussion with the relief food distribution committee comprising of the area leaders, we shall decide on the best criteria to use to distribute it," Wafula said.
He said they will prioritise those who have not received relief aid from humanitarian organisations or the government.
"This will be achieved by working closely with the groups in the region," the administrator said.
Wafula said Samburu Central is the worst-hit, with 67,730 people in dire need of food.
This is followed by Samburu East with 38,097 and Samburu North 26,956.
The three subcounties have each received 560 bags of rice of 50kgs, 560 bags of beans of 50kgs and 201 boxes of canned meat.
President Uhuru Kenyatta recently flagged off a consignment of emergency relief supplies to 23 arid and semi-arid counties affected by the drought.
The relief intervention is set to benefit 2.3 million Kenyans in the affected counties.
Samburu county Redcross coordinator Lydia Maina said 130,000 people in the region are in need of humanitarian support. The numbers could go higher if the rains fail, she said.
The most affected are women, children and the elderly, she said.
Maina also warned that female genital mutilation, early child marriage and gender-based violence are likely to increase should drought mitigation fail to materialise.
Wafula said the construction of Yamo dam in Mararal, which is 98 per cent complete, will ease the water problem in the area.
The dam is set to produce 6,160 cubic metres of water daily. It will serve Maralal town and its environs.
Samburu county has a population of 310,327 people, according to the 2019 Census conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
She said that the number could go high should it fail to rain.
"The prevalence of malnutrition rates of children below five years based on MUAC could be worse according to data sampled during our community outreach programs supported by UNFPA" She said.
