By Looming Drought In Coming Months: Govt Issues Alert
The Government has issued an alert of a looming drought between August and December across the country due to harsh weather conditions.
This follows studies by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) which pointed to poor rainfall in the period.
Speaking in Lake Naivasha Resort after attending a consultative meeting with MPs from Marsabit and Turkana on how to address the current challenges, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said the government was working round the clock to assist vulnerable families affected by the drought.
Looming Drought In Coming Months: Govt Issues Alert. Photo Courtesy
This comes as the number of counties currently affected by the ongoing drought rose from eight to ten with fears that the numbers could increase in the coming days.
According to the CS for Devolution Eugene Wamalwa, the Government was working round the clock to assist vulnerable families affected by the drought.
He identified Garissa, Isiolo, Kilifi, Mandera, Samburu, Tana River, Wajir, Lamu, Marsabit, and Turkana as the ten counties hardest hit by the drought.
He said that FAO had committed Ksh 1.5 billion and EU Ksh 500 million towards assisting the vulnerable families through the provision of water.
The CS said that the construction of three mega-dams in Turkana, West Pokot and Marsabit were at an advanced stage in a bid to fully address the perennial shortage of water.
Saku MP Raso Dido termed the situation on the ground as critical as families and livestock struggled to get water and pastures respectively.
He noted that with schools reopening in a couple of days, there were fears that many students could drop out of school as they joined their families in search for water in the affected counties.
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