Nairobi — Mandera Governor Adan Khalif has urged President William Ruto to declare drought a national disaster after several counties including his own slipped into the alarm phase.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Khalif raised concerns on the biting drought situation in the region which he attributed to climate change evident in the failed of four rainy seasons since 2020.
"The drought situation is growing from bad to worse due to global climate change, resulting in four consecutive failed rainy seasons since 2020. Furthermore, the World Meteorological Organization has predicted that the fifth rainy season will also likely to fail," he stated.
The Mandera county chief lamented that failed rains have caused all water pans to dry threatening the livelihood of pastoralist communities.
The Governor pointed out that a huge percentage of Mandera residents were in dire need of humanitarian assistance, appealing to President Ruto to declare drought a national disaster.
"The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is 500,000; half of Mandera County's population. Therefore, I appeal to His Excellency President William Ruto to declare the drought a national disaster," he said.
Khalid said Mandera county government has not spared efforts to combat effects of drought and famine but noted assistance was crucial.
He said the county is working on an emergency response program through water trucking and food aid targeting vulnerable households in conjunction with National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and donors.
The governor said a rapid response team to fix borehole breakdowns and facilitate emergency response had been established.
"We currently supply 1.8 million liters of water to 192 villages daily. The drought is approaching its peak in mid-October, and we will require up to 4 million liters of water daily to save people and livestock over the next 30 days. Therefore, we need at least Sh75 million for water trucking, fuel subsidy, borehole repairs and maintenance," he added.
Mandera county has also been partnering with NDMA, Racida, Islamic Relief, World Vision, DRC, Kenya red cross society, Napad, Care International and Save the Children.
Governor Khalif reiterated that these donors have helped the residents cope up with the situation but said additional support was needed.
"There are currently about 80,000 households who are receiving cash transfers from various donors and the NDMA. This, however, does not cover all vulnerable families," he said.
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"An estimated 22,000 additional households need cash transfers for the next three months. To protect these families from the adverse effects of climate change, we need Sh1.2 billion," he stated in reference to current statistics from the county.
Over the past few months Mandera has been experiencing acute water shortage, food insecurity and malnutrition, a situation aggravated by limited pastures and reduced livestock prices.
Pastoralists have been losing a considerable number of livestock as a result of starvation and drought-related diseases.
The governor said the situation has affected the overall performance of schools around the region due to hunger and dehydration and calling for contingency measures to support school-going children.
"Drought has also affected our education sector as hungry students cannot concentrate in schools. Moreover, schools will reopen when drought is at its peak, which calls for urgent contingency measures, including water supply to schools and complementing the food supply to 41 boarding schools and the 312 ECDE centers in our county," he stated.
With the acute rise of drought and famine in the northern frontier, the governor, who has been in office for just month, requested the President to initiate proposed measures including monitoring of food supply to save lives.
He also said his office is committed to working with the national government towards achieving a sustainable solution.
