Adan Khalif, Governor of Mandera, has urged President William Ruto to declare the drought a national disaster after several counties, including his own, entered the alert phase.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Khalif expressed concern about the region’s severe drought, which he blamed on climate change, as evidenced by the failure of four rainy seasons since 2020.
The Mandera county chief lamented that the lack of rains had caused all water pans to dry up, threatening pastoralist communities’ livelihoods.
“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 Governor stated that a large proportion of Mandera residents were in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, and he urged President Ruto to declare the drought a national disaster.
“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 has been suffering from acute water scarcity, food insecurity, and malnutrition in recent months, a situation exacerbated by limited pastures and lower livestock prices.
Pastoralists have lost a significant number of livestock due to starvation and drought-related diseases.
The governor stated that the situation has impacted the overall performance of schools throughout the region due to hunger and dehydration, and he has called for emergency measures to assist school-aged children.
