Turkana Drought A Disturbing Phenomenal To Kenyans.

Turkana is a region that has experienced perennial drought often over the years. Every year the drought hits and the livestock and locals bear the biggest blows as they constantly bury their loved ones and eat poisonous wild fruits just to have something in the belly.

At the moment Turkana County which is perceived as the cradle of mankind is being faced with severe drought that has made it impossible for locals of the pastoralist community to halt their daily activities. According to the statistics provided, 800 households are currently faced with starvation. As it is now, locals have raised alarms over deaths of people due to the hunger pangs with all eyes on government to come to their rescue. The residents at the western side of Turkana are the ones affected most as pastures continue to dry up and livestock succumb to the drought. “The situation is worsening. The elderly and the children are the most affected in our community because they do not have food and water to survive,” said a resident from Kathosa village.

Another resident says that the temperatures have shot up to more than 40°C and has created a sense of panic among the people of Turkana leaving those with some strength opting to flee to the neighboring areas in pursuit for food and water for their families. “What do you do in an environment where everything has dried. There is scarcity of water and there is no food. This is why most locals are moving to areas where their relatives live, hoping to share what they have,” he added.

Already, due to lack of pasture, costs of livestock in the market have shot down. Pastoralists are afraid that even if they sell off, they will not get value for their money.“It is hard to believe that a sheep that initially fetched Sh4,000 in the market currently goes for Sh1,000. It is a throwaway price and the proceeds cannot buy essential food to sustain the family for long,” said the resident.

To them, the national and county governments should come up with solutions that will end effects of the drought. However Kenyans this time have been very aggressive in dealing with this matter. With most of them saying that there needs to be a permanent solution for this problem. “We cannot keep doing this year in year out. The government has to step up and solve this issue once and for all. Paybill numbers are not enough. We want Turkana to be a county that can support itself.”