-
Kenya: 'I Have Lost Everything. What Do You Expect Me to Eat?'
DW, 17 February 2021
While Kenya is having some success fighting desert locust swarms, farmers in the north and center of the country face huge losses from ongoing waves of locust swarms. Read more »
-
Kenya: Swarms of Locusts Invade Mbooni in Makueni County
Capital FM, 1 February 2021
Swarms of locusts have invaded farms in sections of Makueni County Monday. Read more »
-
Kenya: Farmers Struggle As Locusts Ravage Crops Again
DW, 27 January 2021
As another wave of locusts looms over East Africa, farmers are struggling to come to grips with the destruction of yet another harvest. Read more »
-
Kenya: Second Wave of Locust Invasion Causes Panic in 11 Counties
Nation, 27 January 2021
Kenyans in 11 counties are staring at hunger following a second wave of invasion by gigantic swarms of desert locusts from neighbouring Ethiopia and Somalia that continue to devour… Read more »
-
East Africa: East African Countries Better Prepared, but Desert Locust Threat 'Not Over'
UN News, 19 January 2021
Action to control unprecedented desert locust infestations in the Horn of Africa last year has protected crops and livelihoods, but funding is needed to sustain operations against… Read more »
Anxiety as More Locust Swarms Spotted Over East Africa
Farmers in Makueni County have expressed fears over the huge losses they would suffer if their crops were ravaged again by locusts that were spotted in the large areas of Mbooni and Kaiti. In March 2020, Kenya and a number of countries in the horn of Africa including Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda, experienced the worst locust attack in seven years. The first wave took its toll on Kenyan farmers. Eventually, the locusts disappeared, and the government helped affected farmers by offering provision-free seeds and fertilizers. One by one, fields were replanted, and the farmers eagerly awaited the next harvest, which usually takes place in mid-February. Now it seems their efforts were all for naught, writes Andrew Wasike for Deutsche Welle.
InFocus
-
The United Nations (UN) has set aside U.S.$1.5 million (Sh164 million) from its Central Emergency Response Fund to fight desert locusts in Kenya. The money was released to the Food ... Read more »
-
The Desert Locust crisis that struck the greater Horn of Africa region earlier in 2020, could re-escalate, as recent strong winds carried small mature yellow swarmlets from ... Read more »
-
Disaster response teams in Kenya's Samburu have started using drones equipped with mapping sensors to spray desert locusts that are ravaging crops and pasturelands in the region. ... Read more »
-
Young people are often missing from leadership positions because of they lack experience, but members of Natiira Ateni Self Help group in Kenya's Turkana County changed this ... Read more »
-
Control operations have been intensified in Samburu and Turkana counties as the government seeks to eliminate the destructive pests, which are heavily feeding on vegetation and ... Read more »
Residents of Mahiga-Meru village chase desert locusts using old aluminium cooking pots, iron sheets and twigs, in Laikipia County, Kenya (file photo).
