A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Northern Kenya, where over two million people are teetering on the brink of starvation following the total failure of the 2025 short rains.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a chilling alert, warning that the window to save lives is rapidly closing. With ten counties now in the grip of a severe drought, the spectre of malnutrition and disease is stalking the arid lands, turning villages into graveyards for livestock and hope.

The Geography of Hunger

Mandera County has been placed on "Alarm" status, the final warning before full-blown famine. Nine others—Wajir, Garissa, Kilifi, Marsabit, Kitui, Kwale, Kajiado, Isiolo, and Tana River—are on "Alert." The landscape is one of dry riverbeds and desperation.

"We are seeing mothers boil stones to distract their crying children," reports a field officer in Marsabit. "The animals are dead. The water is gone. We are next."

• Rainfall Deficit: The October-December rains delivered only 30-60% of the required precipitation, marking the driest season since 1981 in some areas.
• Health Crisis: Malnutrition rates are skyrocketing, and the lack of clean water is a ticking time bomb for cholera and other waterborne diseases.
• Regional Impact: The crisis is not confined to Kenya; it spills over into Somalia and Ethiopia, creating a Horn of Africa emergency that demands a coordinated global response.

A Plea for Action

The government’s disaster response units are overwhelmed. While emergency food aid is trickling in, it is a drop in the ocean compared to the need. Critics argue that this was predictable—a cycle of neglect that leaves the ASAL regions perpetually vulnerable.

We cannot simply pray for rain while our people perish. Immediate, massive investment in water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture is the only way out of this death spiral.

For the two million Kenyans looking at an empty sky and an empty plate, politics means nothing. Survival is the only manifesto that matters.