Kenyan Pastoralists on Verge of Starvation Amid Prolonged Drought

Samburu County, Kenya: Francis Letungo, a 49-year- old father of eight was in pensive mood as he narrated how he lost all his cattle due to the ongoing drought in his native Samburu county, located in northern Kenya.

“All my cattle have perished. I had 70 cows ,20 goats and 10 sheep but have been left with nothing at the moment. This is because of the drought we are experiencing here in Samburu North,” Letungo said during  a recent interview near his homestead.

Letungo adds that he has nothing left to feed his eight children, “I am a laborer, and I often visit small towns in search of casual jobs but have not been so far, “he adds.

The Samburu north region is inhabited by a pastoralist community and almost everybody depends on cattle, “We rely on cattle but now we have nothing, our children are also not going to schools,” says Letungo.

Letungo called upon well-wishers to help them with food. “I ask if there is anybody out there with something small to assist us, we are staring at starvation,” he adds.

Alice Chesat, a treasurer at Nyiro conservancy, in partnership with local charities has been providing a meal daily to children and the elderly people facing acute food scarcity.

“We give around 200 children one single meal every day, we started with 50 whom we gave cards but with time the number increased and we could not continue checking the ones with the cards but now we shifted to every child,” says Chesat.

She adds that during this drought season, water shortage has escalated, “People and animals all depend on water, at the moment we do not have any water around,” says Chesat.

She explains that the elderly people often troop her residence to beg for a jerry can of fresh water to help quench thirst and ward off communicable diseases.

“This is my third day going without any single meal, I ask for well-wishers to help me before I starve,” says Gladys Lesanjore, an elderly livestock keeper.

In northern Kenyan county of Isiolo which neighbors Samburu, the drought situation is worsening each passing day. An eight-year- old boy named Loiturut Lenaimaida who is a student at a local public school could not hold his tears when his only remaining cow could not make any move.

“This is indeed a sad state, the drought condition is worsening day by day, and this young boy could not hold his tears after the last of his father’s large head of cattle were wiped out,” said Jackson Lekumoisa Nannapa, Nyiro Conservancy Manager.

According to Lekumoisa, the boy tried to drag the cow using bare hands without success.
Charles Nimesoi assistant county commissioner Nyiro division, Samburu North says that nomads have started killing wildlife to feed on them amid acute scarcity of staples.

“The local community is killing wild animals like Grevy Zebras for meat especially during this drought season when everyone is looking for pasture and water,” adds Nimesoi.

According to Nimesoi, private conservancies are working with the local community to educate them on wildlife conservation, minimize poaching of iconic species.

Samwel Alima, the Water secretary in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation said on Monday the government has drilled 2800 boreholes in arid and semi-arid regions to avert a humanitarian crisis in this drought season.

“This is the first time that Kenya has completed four main large dams simultaneously, Yamo dam in Samburu County is meant to serve Maralal town,” said Alima.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sept,8.2021 declared drought which had hit a huge swathe of the country a national disaster.