• An estimated 20,000 hectares have been affected in 14 counties, says FAO.
• Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Garissa, Baringo, Meru, Laikipia, Tharaka Nithi, Kitui, Embu, Machakos and Makueni counties most affected by the locust invasion.
Image: Courtesy: FAO
The heavy rains being experienced in parts of the country are washing away the pesticides sprayed on desert locusts, Agriculture CS Peter Munya has said.
Munya said the rains are slowing down efforts to control the destructive pests that have been reported in 14 counties.
"We have also been experiencing delays and shortage of the chemicals which are not found locally and are imported from Japan,” Munya said.
The CS said the President has given a go-ahead for the ministry to order a direct purchase of the pesticides from the Japanese government.
He spoke on Saturday when he accompanied President Uhuru Kenyatta during the laying of the foundation of the New KCC plant in Meru.
The locusts have been reported in Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Garissa, Baringo, Meru, Laikipia, Tharaka Nithi, Kitui, Embu, Machakos and Makueni Counties.
An estimated 20,000 hectares have been invaded in the 14 counties.
Munya said eight aircrafts are being used in the locust control efforts, four for aerial spraying and the other four for surveillance.
He confirmed that there are locust swarms coming in from Somalia due to inefficiency in controlling the pest there, hence Kenya will carry out control measures for the next six months.
The CS said the government is carrying out an assessment on the impact of the pests to farmers to help make a decision on how to support them.
The United Nations has warned that the current desert locusts situation is extremely alarming and a threat to food security.
The latest Food and Agriculture Organisation locusts situation report indicated that the situation is worrisome in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
The Desert Locust Watch report released on Monday indicated that by early this year, the global desert locust situation deteriorated.
Favourable climatic conditions allowed widespread breeding of the pest in East Africa, Southwest Asia and the area around the Red Sea.
“The swarms of desert locusts are extremely large, highly mobile, and are damaging food crops and forage. The locusts prefer semi-arid to arid areas and lay eggs in moist sandy soils,” the report read.
Muo Kasina, chairman of the Entomological Society of Kenya, said areas like Western Kenya, Rift Valley and highland areas in Central Kenya have been spared due to the cold and wet conditions that are not favourable for the locusts.
“Some swarms have already laid eggs and hatching is almost certainly underway. Breeding during February will cause a further increase with numerous hopper bands in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia,” he said.
Some swarms may still reach Uganda and South Sudan in the coming days, Muo said.