More than 1,400 residents of Makueni have received livestock feeds as part of the drought mitigation measures.
The feeds distributed by the National Drought Management Authority with the support of the European Union have seen the county benefit from 2,800 bags of the nutritious 'drought pellets'.
The livestock feed supplements (drought pellets) distributed by the NDMA are specially formulated and a 50kg bag feeds a cow for 25 days and a sheep or goat for 100 days.
The feed targets livestock left behind as the larger herds migrate in search of pasture and water.
The exercise launched by Makueni Acting Deputy County Commissioner Elisha Kiogora saw the residents get two bags each of the feeds so as to cushion their livestock from hunger as they wait for rains.
The authority has been championing and promoting alternative livelihoods in drought-stricken counties especially pastoral communities from Northern Kenya to cope with the impacts of drought.
Through the help of UNDP, 10 women groups in Banane, Garissa County have been able to receive goat breeding stock, sewing machines and textiles.
“The long rains have started in some arid and semi-arid counties and it is a welcome relief for communities,” NDMA said in a statement.
“In preparation for the rains, NDMA with funds from the EU supported the desilting of various water pans and dams, among them Alungo pan in Laafey Subcounty of Mandera,” it added.
The government has scaled up drought response interventions to mitigate the impacts of the deteriorating drought situation.
Asals and Regional Development CS Rebecca Miano said priority interventions under the ministry are the distribution of relief food, improving access to water and provision of livestock feed supplements.
According to the CS, The ministry, through the NDMA, is in the process of dispatching 60,480 bags (50kgs) of livestock feed supplements worth Sh145 million to eight Asal counties.
“We have already dispatched feed to Kitui, Makueni, Kajiado, Marsabit and Isiolo and are finalising logistics for dispatch to Mandera, Wajir and Nyeri counties,” she said.
Miano said that the intervention is aimed at complementing actions by other partners to avert more livestock deaths.
