Nairobi — Esther Ekwuon sits among a group of elderly men and women all huddled around a dry acacia tree in Turkana, northwest of Kenya.

They all sit quietly, forlornly gazing into the distance, squinting as the midday sun bounces off the sandy expanse before them.

The acacia is not providing much cover, but it is the best there is along this dry river bed.

There are about 80 people here; they have come with their most valuable asset -- livestock.

With temperatures as high as 40 centigrade, the heat has sapped energy out of the people and the animals.

Some herders are holding their goats in their arms; but some are sprawled on the sand, dead.

Ekwuon carried one of her goats in a gunny bag as it was too weak to walk.

It died moments after arrival.

The other one has a swollen gut and is breathing with difficulty.

"The goat has eaten sand due to lack of pasture, that is why its gut is swollen," she says. A few minutes later, it succumbs. "I had over 100 goats, but almost half of the herd is dead."

In recent weeks, the residents of Loyoro village, about 80km north of Lodwar, have watched as their livestock have died in large numbers.

The land is totally bare and there are no shrubs for the browsing animals, just a few dead stalks jutting from the rocky ground.

Water pans in the area have also dried up.

Turkana is among the areas worst affected by drought in Kenya.

On this day, the pastoralists of Loyoro have brought their weak animals for slaughter.

In return, they will get some money and also take some meat home.

The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) is funding a destocking programme as part of its regional drought preparedness initiative.

Animals are bought from the owners, slaughtered and then the meat is distributed as relief to the most affected families.

Benoit Collin, the co-ordinator of the regional drought programme at ECHO said, "The Turkana community stands a huge risk of losing all their livestock to drought. This programme is salvaging the value of a few animals to avoid a complete loss of their main assets while providing some food to the old, the sick and the orphans, who are most affected by the drought."

The destocking programme has bought and slaughtered more than 30,000 goats, 1,500 cattle and 20 camels since April this year.

"This gives the pastoralists some money to allow them to rebuild their herds in future," Mr Collin says.

Mr Collin is however quick to warn that the expected short rains mayt not signal the end of suffering in the drought hit areas.

"It will take time for the pasture to grow back as the grazing land is severely damaged. Besides, the animals are extremely weak and it will be a couple of weeks, even months, before the animals regain good body condition and start producing milk."

The woes of the Turkana people do not end with the drought.

The community has tense relations with most of its neighbours, which has reduced its ability to move in search of pasture and water, a common coping practice for pastoralists.

Back at Loyoro, Ekwuon has made the best of a bad situation.

Her family will eat some meat tonight.

The herders will receive Ksh800 ($10) for every live goat.

Around 170 goats and two camels are being slaughtered here today.

The animals are so weak that they don't put up a fight as the men descend on them with razor-sharp blades.

It is a bloody scene, but this is a last resort for the Turkana people.