Locust swarms hatch in Turkana, Marsabit and Samburu

Turkana, Marsabit and Samburu counties are witnessing an increase in the hatching of desert locusts.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said it had mapped 16 sites of the insects.

“We are on high alert given the recent floods that there could be more undocumented sites. The race is on,” FAO-Kenya wrote on Twitter.

Agriculture CS Peter Munya said on Monday that Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit and Turkana counties are currently heavily infested by the desert locusts.

“Laying of eggs is conducive in Loiyangalani area in Turkana and parts of North Horr but we have teams mapping those areas,” Munya said.

He, however, said the country could see a decrease in the number of swarms between June and July due to the wind pathways.

Munya said the locust swarms may be moved by the wind towards Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan but containment and assessment are still ongoing.

FAO Desert Locust Watch indicated that the current situation remains extremely alarming in East Africa as it poses a threat to food security and livelihoods since it coincides with the crops growing season.

“New swarms from current breeding will form from mid-June onwards, coinciding with the start of the harvest. At this time, there is a risk that swarms will migrate to the summer breeding areas of Sudan and perhaps West Africa as well as along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border," a FAO report said.

The report showed that during the past week, mature swarms in Kenya moved further north to the counties of Marsabit and Turkana to lay eggs, and so far only some of the hatching and a few hopper bands had been detected.

In addition, swarms in Ethiopia declined in the south due to control and breeding while mature swarms moved into the northeast (Afar) and eastern Somali regions.

“Hopper bands continued to mature near Dire Dawa as well as in adjacent areas of northwest Somalia. In central Somalia, mature adults are present near the Ethiopia border in Galguduud region. Control operations continue in all three countries. In South Sudan, limited breeding is underway in the southeast near Torit where a few hopper bands have formed, but the situation remains calm in West Africa,” Locust Watch stated.

FAO further confirmed that there was a risk that a few swarms from spring breeding areas in Arabia, Kenya and Ethiopia could reach the eastern part of the Sahel in eastern Chad in a month’s time if they migrate before the summer rains commence.

“While the current threat is assessed as low, it can change significantly in the coming weeks based on rainfall, winds and the locust situation in Arabia and East Africa. Therefore, investments in preparedness and anticipatory actions should be immediately and quickly scaled up to face this potential threat,” the UN food agency said.

Edited by Henry Makori