Farmers worried as locusts invade Marsabit, Isiolo and Turkana

Tree locusts have invaded parts of Marsabit, Isiolo and Turkana counties.

A swarm has occupied about 2,000 square kilometers (494,210 acres)

in Merti sub-county in Isiolo, while residents of North Horr, Marsabit, have reported that the pests disrupted classes in some schools last week.

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Pupils learned under trees as efforts to drive them away were futile.

Farmers in Marsabit resorted to hiring youths to scare away locusts that ate maize and beans on their farms.

The pests have also invaded parts of Turkana East sub-county that borders Samburu, Baringo and West Pokot.

The locusts invade trees and shrubs, unlike desert locusts which are more dangerous and feeds on grass and crops.

"We have sent a team of officers for surveillance and also contacted the Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa, which has provided a plane for spraying to prevent attacks that could affect browsing for goats and camels,” Agriculture Chief Administrative secretary Andrew Tuimur said.

The organisation based in Nairobi promotes control operations, and looks into techniques against upsurges and plagues of desert locusts and other migratory pests, including the larvae

of the African armyworm and tsetse fly.

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The pest is common in semi-arid areas and flies from one place to another especially after the rains when the shrubs are green.

Speaking to the Star by phone on Monday, Tuimur said the last invasion was reported in Turkana in 2016 and that the government managed to control it.

In

December

2007,

the Agriculture ministry issued an alert about the desert locust

in North Eastern, noting risks to maize and wheat.

This was

after a large and dense locust swarm flew over Mandera from Ethiopia.

The ministry reported that the swarm's was first reported sighted in Ogaden region of Ethiopia, having originated from Yemen. It later moved to south of Somalia and northern Kenya.

The ministry was able to control the pests, which were in the hopper stage, using pesticides.

According to the ecology of the pest,

this is the

most destructive stage.