Four counties experiencing drought, says Oguna

Marsabit, Tana River, Isiolo and Turkana counties are already experiencing drought stress, government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna has said.

He said 1.4 million Kenyans are threatened by drought and the situation may worsen.

“With the performance of the 2021 long-rains season forecasted to be poor, the situation is likely to dip a little, and the number of those in need of humanitarian support likely to increase towards August 2021,” he said.

He spoke on Thursday during a media briefing on the looming drought in the country.

Oguna said that currently, over 1.4 million Kenyans are at risk of hunger and starvation, and potentially face acute food insecurity.

“However, the government is committed to ensuring that no Kenyan dies from lack of food. The national government in collaboration with governments of the affected counties have initiated interventions, which includes close monitoring of areas that may be threatened for immediate response,” he said.

According to the Meteorological Department, the expected rainfall is likely to be depressed. Only a few areas in Nyanza, Western, Central, parts of Rift Valley and Eastern are likely to receive above average rainfall.

Counties of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit and Tana River are expected to receive below average rainfall or none.

Oguna said as the country enters into the long rains season, the government will continue to monitor the situation in the regions that are likely to be threatened by drought.

He urged farmers to make early preparations for planting.

“The overall food security in the country is good but due to the poor performance of the short rains in the months of October-December 2020, the national food and nutrition security was marginally compromised. The situation has been compounded further by the Covid-19 pandemic and the desert locust invasion,” Oguna said .

The projected annual production of maize for 2020 was 43.2 million of 90kgs bags of maize, against the country’s annual requirement of 47,000,000 bags.

The actual harvest for that year was 41,551,550 bags, translating to a deficit of about 5,500,000 bags, which was offset by importation of the commodity from the region.

Sectors that are most affected are food, water, livestock and other sectors in the hotspots such as health and nutrition, peace and security and education also need some attention.

Interventions to mitigate the situation

Oguna said the county governments, in collaboration with the national government, are distributing water to households in Turkana, Mandera, Garissa and Wajir counties.

“Other interventions include the provision of relief food in Turkana county by the county government, cash transfer under the Hunger Safety Net Program, which is currently in Phase 3. Every household receives Sh2,700 every two months, and targets over 101,800 households in the counties of Turkana, Mandera and Marsabit,” he said, adding that the government spends about Sh2 billion on the programme every year.

He said plans are underway to incorporate into the programme the counties of Wajir, Isiolo, Tana River, Garissa and Samburu.

Oguna assured Kenyans that the situation is under control and that there should be no cause for panic.

“As a country, we have enough food stocks to support the population. Farmers in areas expected to receive good rainfall are urged to take advantage of the rains and plant the correct crop variety for their zones as advised by extension officers. Additionally, let everyone in the wet regions to plant trees during this season,” he said.

-Edited by Sarah Kanyara