Leaders from Kenya's drought-stricken northern counties are urging President William Ruto’s administration to declare a national disaster as the region teeters on the brink of a full-blown humanitarian emergency. The call to action, they argue, is critical to unlock international aid and galvanize a more robust response to a crisis that has already left millions hungry and decimated pastoral livelihoods.

The crisis puts the future of more than 2.1 million Kenyans in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) in jeopardy, as they face severe food shortages following consecutive failed rainy seasons. This dire situation, driven by climatic patterns like La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, has led to soaring food prices, dried-up water sources, and widespread livestock deaths, pushing pastoralist families to their absolute limit.

A Race Against Time

Speaking at a press briefing in Parliament, Eldas MP Adan Keynan emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting that counties like Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Turkana are bearing the brunt of the crisis. "This situation demands urgent action," warned Mandera West MP Yussuf Adan, criticizing what he described as the government's recurring failure to prepare for predictable drought cycles. The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has officially placed seven counties, including Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa, on drought alert, confirming that the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

The impact on the ground is devastating. For families whose wealth is measured in livestock, the losses are catastrophic. While exact figures for the current drought are still being compiled, the 2022 drought saw Kenya lose over 2.5 million livestock valued at more than KES 50 billion, a scenario farmers and leaders are desperate to avoid repeating. The current crisis is forcing pastoralists to migrate in search of scarce pasture and water, a situation that is intensifying competition for resources and heightening the risk of inter-communal conflict.

Government Response and Future Plans

While the national government has yet to declare a national disaster, it maintains that resources are being allocated to manage the crisis. Some officials have reportedly described the declaration as potentially "premature," stating that targeted interventions like water trucking and livestock support are underway. Humanitarian agencies are also on the ground; the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) recently launched an appeal for 15 million Swiss Francs (approx. KES 2.4 billion) to support the Kenya Red Cross in delivering aid to 300,000 people.

In the long term, President Ruto has spoken of ambitious plans to transform the region's fortunes by investing in large-scale water infrastructure. "It is time to expand... to the rest of the 80 per cent of Kenya that has no rainfall so that we can store and harvest water and use it for irrigation," the President noted during a recent tour.

• Affected Population: An estimated 2.1 million people in ASAL counties face crisis-level hunger.
• Worst-Hit Counties: Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Kajiado, Kilifi, Tana River, and Kwale are on high alert.
• Economic Impact: Pastoralists face crippling livestock losses, with the previous major drought costing the nation over KES 50 billion.
• Humanitarian Need: Malnutrition is rising, particularly among children and pregnant women, with families resorting to desperate coping strategies.

For now, the immediate focus remains on survival. The MPs insist that a national disaster declaration is the only way to mobilize the scale of resources needed. "If nothing is done, people will die," Keynan stated bluntly, framing the debate not as a matter of policy, but of life and death.