Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, has issued a warning of an impending drought, calling for urgent preparedness measures to protect both human and animal populations.
According to Mutahi, the government has concrete evidence that drought conditions are approaching and must take proactive steps to mitigate its impact, particularly on the livestock sector.
“We know for a fact that a drought is coming. If we know for a fact that a drought is coming, let us prepare for the drought as we prepare for human food,” the CS stated during a recent address.
Kagwe emphasized that just as the government maintains strategic grain reserves for human consumption, similar measures must be implemented for livestock feed to safeguard the dairy and livestock industries.
“As the government, we buy food, enough maize. So that if we don’t get a maize crop, we can distribute the strategic reserves we have. We need to do the same for the dairy sector for the livestock sector,” he explained.
The Agriculture CS proposed establishing storage facilities across counties to stockpile animal feed ahead of the dry season.
“We need go downs in counties where we can store silage and hay, for the dry seasons. So we need to think differently,” Kagwe stated.
He stressed that effective drought preparedness requires collaboration between national and county governments, with devolved units taking the lead in developing localized response strategies.
“This can only happen if the national government is also working with the county governments. The county governments must take the initiative. It is a devolved function. The county governments must take the initiative to give us the plans that they have to salvage the livestock in their respective counties so that we can be of assistance as a national government,” the CS noted.
He particularly called on county governments to think innovatively about ways to ensure adequate animal feed supplies during drought periods.
The warning comes as the government continues to intensify drought response efforts across the country.
This week, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced that both national and county steering committees on drought response had been activated to coordinate efforts among government agencies, development partners, humanitarian organizations, and the private sector.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, January 14, the Deputy President revealed that the government had allocated over 6 billion shillings in the previous month to support drought mitigation measures. These interventions included distribution of food and non-food items, medical supplies and water to affected populations.
Kindiki further disclosed that an additional 4 billion shillings would be allocated monthly to sustain ongoing drought mitigation activities, while appealing to development partners to continue supporting the government’s efforts.
With approximately 2.1 million people facing food insecurity across the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), the government, working alongside humanitarian and development partners, had reached about 1.4 million citizens between August and December last year through various interventions, including food distribution, cash transfers, water provision, medical supplies, and special programs for malnourished children.
