- Some parts will receive rain between Wednesday and next Monday.
- Drought continued to worsen in 19 of the 23 arid and semi-arid counties.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Most parts of the country will generally be dry, the latest forecast has shown.
The latest forecast shows that some parts of the highlands west of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the central and south Rift Valley, the highlands east of the Rift Valley and the Coast will receive some rain.
The forecast was released by David Gikungu on behalf of Kenya Meteorological Services director Stella Aura.
“Daytime (maximum) temperatures are likely to be moderate while nighttime (minimum) temperatures are likely to be low over high-altitude areas,” the forecast says.
It was issued on Wednesday and will be applicable until Monday.
The forecast comes as statistics from the National Drought Management Authority indicate that the number of people who need food donations has increased from 3.5 million in May to 4.1 million this month.
The grim statistics show that the drought continued to worsen in 19 of the 23 arid and semi-arid counties.
The June Drought Early Warning Bulletin attributed the worsening drought to the poor performance of the 2021 short rain and the early cessation of the 2022 long rain season.
“Below average performance of the rains has negatively impacted crop and livestock production across the ASALs. This is the fourth consecutive poor rainfall season since 2020. The number of people in need of assistance has increased from 3.5 million in May to 4.1 million in June 2022,” the NDMA said.
The drought bulletin further stated that six counties, Laikipia, Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir, Isiolo, and Samburu are in the alarm drought phase.
Thirteen counties – Kilifi, Turkana, West-Pokot, Kwale, Meru (North), Embu (Mbeere), Garissa, Kajiado, Kitui, Nyeri (Kieni), Taita Taveta, Tharaka Nithi, and Tana-River – are in alert drought phase.
The remaining four counties – Baringo, Lamu, Narok and Makueni – are in a normal drought phase.
Lt Col (Rtd) Hared Hassan, NDMA chief executive officer, said child malnutrition rates remain high, with Garissa, Isiolo, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana and Wajir being the worst affected.
He said the malnutrition trend in these counties is primarily due to a decline in milk production, hence reduced milk consumption at the household level.
It is aggravated by poor dietary diversity, poor child feeding practices, and reduced food intake.
Acute malnutrition has also been noted across the counties, with 942,000 children aged six to 59 months acutely malnourished and 134,000 pregnant or lactating women being acutely malnourished and in need of treatment.
The drought bulletin showed that livestock mortality as of May 2022 stood at more than 2.4 million across all species, with the most affected counties being Samburu, Mandera, Isiolo, Lamu, Marsabit and Garissa.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya