The National Drought Management Authority in Mandera county has began the livestock restocking programme to support families hit by drought the past two years.
County NDMA coordinator Mohamed Kula said they are supporting five locations in Mandera county, starting with Gadudia location.
The other locations that will benefit are Kubi, Bambo, Fujara and Wangaithahan location in Mandera West.
The project is supported by the European union and implemented by the NDMA.
Kula said they have distributed 100 goats to 20 households, with each household receiving five goats, four does and one buck.
Mandera, just like the neighbouring counties in Northeastern, did not receive adequate rainfall during the last March-April short rain season. The previous season of October-December also witnessed depressed rain.
This affected the vegetation, which in turn saw pastoralists lose hundreds of livestock.
The drought agency is restocking them to build resilience in the community after five successive failed rain seasons, Kula said.
Just like in other pastoral counties, livestock production is the dominant economic activity in Mandera and plays an integral role in driving the local economy.
“Livestock farming is the backbone of our economy,” Kula said.
“As a state agency charged with dealing with matters drought, it is our obligation to support our farmers in ensuring they get back on their feet so they can reap the maximum benefits of their animals.”
He urged beneficiaries to nurture the animals well so they can multiply.
Mandera East chief Adan Ibrahim called on the national, county and other state and non-state actors to keep supporting pastoralists, whom he said were yet to recover from the effects of the prolonged drought.
He said the programme is meant to build resilience in the community so they go back to their livelihoods.
“The number of our people affected by the prolonged drought is big,” he said.
“In fact, almost everyone was affected. And so it will take collective effort to assist these people, whom as we all know depend on livestock as their main source of income.”
Ibrahim said the donated livestock will be source of income and livelihood, and it will be supporting the community as a result of high mortality of animals.
“We lost almost 1.5 million animals, and so this project will go a long way in helping the community sustain their livelihoods,” he said.
In March, Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif put the monetary value of livestock lost in Mandera at more than Sh11 billion.
He said the county has lost more than 365,000 cattle, 30,000 donkeys, 500,000 goats and 160,000 camels.
“Our region has borne the brunt of drought effects,” Khalif said.
“Our economy has been devastated. The monetary value is equivalent to our annual allocation from the national government's equitable share.”
Livestock production in Mandera is the dominant economic activity in the county and plays an integral role in driving the local economy.
More than 80 per cent of the population depends on livestock for their livelihood and food security.
The sector also accounts for 75 per cent of employment in the rural setup, earning the county about Sh10.5 billion from livestock products annually.
