Expected rains may not be good for maize, beans — Kitui official

Kitui is poised to receive enhanced rainfall in the March-May season that is forecast to set in from next week, the weatherman has announced.

Kitui director of meteorology Daniel Mbithi said the rains will peak in April but subside in the second or third week of May.

He spoke while releasing the rainfall season forecast report on Tuesday.

However, Mbithi said the forecast could possibly change in an event of the development of a tropical cyclone storm in the western sector of the Indian Ocean.

He said this could either decrease or increase the rain intensity.

Mbithi said the near normal to above normal rains are forecasted be below 270 mm in most of Kitui.

He said the rains will not be sufficient for the planting of popular maize and beans crop.

The director said in order to avoid crop failure and enhance food security, residents should grow indigenous drought tolerant crops.

“Majority of farmers should consider planting green grams, sorghum, cowpeas, millet and grass for livestock,” the MAM season report said.

The forecast report said the March-May long rain distribution will range from fair to good in terms of time and space.

Mbithi said the rainfall projection report indicates that although some high potential areas of Kitui are expected to receive rainfall of between 300 to 450 mm, other areas will get reduced rainfall of between 100 to 150 mm.

He said although the forecast implies that rains will be enhanced, it is unlikely to unlock the food insecurity most residents of Kitui are steeped in currently.

The situation was due to massive crop failure in the last October-December rainfall. The rains poured for a month but was enhanced in intensity.

However, most farmers planted late leading to withering and wilting after the rains subsided before the crops matured.

Nevertheless, a small population of farmers who planted millet, sorghum and drought tolerant legumes realised a substantial harvest.

Those who planted maize and beans watched as their crops dried up prematurely.

Over a month ago, the Kitui National Drought Management Authority coordinator Francis Koma said the number of residents in dire need of relief food has doubled from 113,600 to 226,200. This was despite the heavy October-December short rains.

Koma said after the rains subsided most farmers in the county ignored an important advisory from the met department, aggravating the famine situation.

“The number of people in need of food assistance has gone up because we have not harvested anything and we are not going to harvest anything. Mainly they (people) will just eat from the farms and that will be all,” Koma said.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)