•Two million people in need of food aid, says National Drought Management Authority
•Turkana county has the highest number of food insecure people at 325,100
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
The government will spend Sh8 billion on drought interventions between July and December.
A June drought situation report released by the National Drought Management Authority shows two million people are in need of food aid.
NDMA director of technical services Sunya Orre said the number in need of food assistance was projected to increase from 1.6 million people in June to two million by the end of July.
While presenting the report to the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group on Friday, Orre said seven counties of Wajir, Isiolo, Baringo, Garissa, Marsabit, West Pokot and Samburu are the hardest hit and are classified in the alarm drought phase.
He said by February, 23 ASAL counties were affected by drought and 1.1 million people required relief assistance.
In addition, some people were reported to be affected in pockets of non-ASAL counties due to the delayed or poor rains.
The report shows even though Turkana county is not in the alarm category, it has the highest number of food insecure people at 325, 100.
It is followed by Kitui with 164, 700, Makueni 143,900, Kilifi with 140, 000 and Garissa, Mandera and Baringo with 129,600, 128,000 and 126,700 respectively.
“Sh7 billion will be used for food relief and cash transfer, Sh130 million for water trucking and rehabilitation of boreholes. Sh70 million for drilling strategic boreholes, Sh250 million on livestock feeds, Sh70 million for livestock disease surveillance and control and Sh83.6 million for mitigation and suppression of forest fires,” the report reads.
Another Sh40 million will be used for wildlife-livestock drives, Sh30 million for fire suppression, Sh30 million for water trucking, Sh350, 000 for therapeutic supplements for children under five and Sh20 million for ASAL coordination.
“The situation was projected to be worsening considering the weather forecast given by the Meteorology team on the delayed onset of the long rains 2019,” the report states.
Orre said following the rains received in some ASAL areas in May, the number of counties in the alarm drought phase has reduced to seven from 15 in March.
“Counties currently in the alarm drought phase are Wajir, Isiolo, Baringo, Garissa, Marsabit, West Pokot and Samburu.
The six counties of Baringo, Marsabit, Isiolo, Wajir, Laikipia and Tana River recorded severe vegetation deficit, he said.
Mandera, Turkana, Garissa, Samburu, Tharaka Nithi, West Pokot, Kitui, Meru, Kilifi, Kwale and Narok recorded moderate vegetation condition index.
The report further shows that malnutrition cases amongst children under five years is worsening in Kitui, Makueni, Narok, Samburu, Lamu and Tharaka Nithi counties.