Nairobi — Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on political leaders to stop politicizing drought issues and instead support long-term interventions aimed at ending the crisis in Northern Kenya.

Kindiki said President William Ruto's administration has taken a decisive step by introducing a National Infrastructure Fund, which he described as a permanent solution to recurring drought challenges.

He criticized unnamed leaders for issuing statements from Nairobi without firsthand knowledge of conditions in arid counties.

"They shouldn't talk at press conferences in Nairobi. They shouldn't talk at retreats in hotels; they should come to Garissa, Mandera, and Wajir and travel to understand how Kenya is," Kindiki said.

The Deputy President maintained that sustainable infrastructure development, rather than short-term relief measures, is key to ending the cycle of drought emergencies.

"Furthermore, those people are giving us lectures, and it's not like they haven't been in government, but we know that President Ruto, for the first time, has come up with a permanent solution to the drought situation by introducing the national infrastructure fund," Kindiki said.

The Deputy President said the fund is designed to support long-term infrastructure projects aimed at mitigating the effects of drought, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.

Northern Kenya has long grappled with recurring droughts that have devastated livelihoods, particularly among pastoralist communities.