Marsabit County is experiencing its worst drought in years, causing human suffering throughout the county, with the sub-counties of Laisamis and North Horr being the hardest hit.
Speaking with residents after the campaigns, they reveal that they have been left on their own to deal with hunger.
Politicians who swarmed the area with freebies have returned to their Nairobi homes after securing the votes, and relief food is nowhere to be found.
Marsabit County has been without rain for over three years, and over one million livestock have died as a result of the drought. Since 2019, inter-ethnic conflicts have exacerbated the situation, and humanitarian agencies have warned of a looming crisis.
According to Mike Kendagor, Project Coordinator for Church World Service (CWS) in Canada, the drought is likely to worsen because no rains are expected anytime soon.
“Efforts to address the situation should urgently be taken, with long-term interventions required to eliminate the threat of famine,” Mr Kendagor said.
He spoke last week during a food distribution exercise in Laisamis sub-county, which targeted over 4,000 households.
Mr Kendagor also stated that the drought posed the greatest threat to education and health, affecting children under the age of five. Learners are dropping out of school as they accompany their parents to remote areas in search of pasture. Some are too weak to walk to school because they are malnourished, he claims.
Laisamis Assistant County Commissioner Charles Mbole expressed concern that the ongoing drought would erode the gains made in bringing education closer to children in the region.
The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has been responding to the immediate needs of over 229,883 drought-affected families across Marsabit County through emergency cash and food distribution in collaboration with non-governmental organizations.
According to NDMA Marsabit County Coordinator Henry Mustafa, 68,968 people in North Horr and South Horr in Laisamis Sub-county, and Jaldesa in Saku Sub-county, are in desperate need of assistance.
Mr Mustafa went on to say that projections show that the number of people in need of food in the county could rise to 252,882 by October or November.
At the same time, malnutrition rates in hard-hit areas had risen to 30.3%. He revealed that over 20,453 families have benefited from the Sh110,446 hunger safety net program.
The situation in Mr. Adan’s village is dire, with residents suffering greatly. Residents told the Nation that one of the five sub-locations has been abandoned and that people have moved to areas where they can get help.
Mr Abdi Boru stated that over 500 livestock had died. He takes us on a tour of the area, where we see animal carcasses lying everywhere and the stench is unbearable.
According to him, only two boreholes serve the entire location. Hundreds of livestock are waiting to drink water at one of the watering points as people struggle to obtain the scarce commodity.
Another borehole that used to serve the small shopping center, two schools, and a GSU camp has been out of commission for over a year, and leaders don’t appear to care, he said.
“The cows die at the borehole after drinking water, yet they have not eaten anything. We must drag them away to avoid the stench and allow people to fetch water,” said Mr Boru, who has so far lost 60 heads of cattle worth over Sh1.5 million.
According to Ms Fatma Abdi, women are the hardest hit because they are responsible for taking care of children and looking for food.
“We spend hours fetching water and burning charcoal to sell. Our children drop out of school since we have no money to pay for their fees,” says the widowed mother of seven.
Dabel has suffered from years of neglect which has rendered residents susceptible to humanitarian crises including drought and floods.
The region’s isolation has cut it off from potential relief food supplies, and the situation is deteriorating by the day. According to Mr Boru, who is also the chairman of the institution’s management committee, the health sector is also severely impacted, with Dabel Dispensary running out of medicine.
Residents claim that now that the campaigns and elections are over, politicians have abandoned them to fend for themselves.
Mr Mohamud Ali, however, pledged to restore peace in the restive county as his top priority during his inauguration for a second term as Marsbit governor last Thursday. He stated that addressing drought and food insecurity will be prioritized.
Marsabit has faced the twin challenges of insecurity and drought over the years. Mr Ali also urged the national government, non-governmental organizations, and security agencies to work together to address the challenges.
“I am grateful for efforts employed by the national government in restoring peace in Marsabit and I am optimistic that we will continue to work hand in hand towards alleviating the myriad challenges that have plagued this county,” Mr. Ali said.
Regarding the drought, his deputy Solomon Gubo stated that the county should brace itself for hard times if rains do not fall until November.
He stated that the county government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, would begin putting in place contingency measures to prevent the loss of human lives as well as livestock.
