Kenya needs over Ksh1 billion to put in place mitigation measures to cushion vulnerable communities in the face of the evolving drought situation in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) in the country.
In a briefing to the Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki in his office, the National Disaster Response Steering Committee (NDRSC) noted that 1.8 million people are currently food insecure in five counties.
The committee also briefed the Deputy President on the expected impacts of the forthcoming March to May long rain season.
In a statement, the Communication Subcommittee Representative and who is also the KBC Managing Director, Agnes Kalekye, said the Committee is conducting a comprehensive drought assessment and looking at measures being taken by line ministries to mitigate the impacts of drought, including distribution of food to over 200,000 households in the marginal areas.
The committee chair, Dr. Peter Ndegwa, also expressed concerns over the US government’s suspension of humanitarian support.
The committee stressed the need to strengthen resilience in order to be able to overcome weather-related shocks.
Temperatures are expected to be above normal in February, with moderate to below-average rainfall anticipated in the first and second weeks of April.
Dry spells
Meanwhile, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a drought alert for about 18 counties amid fears the long rains may fail.
The Climate outlook for the March-April-May (MAM) 2025 “Long Rains” season indicates that near to above-average rainfall is expected over the Lake Victoria Basin, South Rift Valley, most of the Highlands West of the Rift Valley, the southern parts of the Southeastern lowlands and the extreme northern parts of northwestern Kenya.
The season is however expected to be characterised by a normal to late onset with occasional dry spells.
According to the weatherman near to below-average rainfall is expected over Central Rift Valley, Highlands East of the Rift Valley (including Nairobi County), most of Northwest, Coastal region, Southeastern lowlands and isolated areas over the Highlands West of the Rift Valley.
Below-average rainfall is expected over the northeastern and the north coast. During the season, it is likely that several areas will have a generally poor to fair distribution of rainfall in both time and space.
Occasional storms are likely to be experienced in some parts of the country during the season.
The peak of the rains is expected to be in April for most regions, except over the Coastal Strip where the peak is expected in May.
