State must act fast on climate change

Vulnerable communities and families in various counties across Kenya are grappling with the adverse effects of climate change.

Pastoralists particularly have had to confront threats touching on their means of subsistence. Poor rains in diverse regions have been the cause of agony due to persistent drought that has led to loss of livestock and severe food insecurity in vulnerable regions covering about 27 counties.

Already, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), a government agency, has warned that nearly 300,000 people in the North Rift are in dire need of relief food as a result of erratic rainfall.

Herders have had to move with their animals, sometimes through agrarian regions, in search of pasture and water for their livestock, and this has raised the risk of conflict with farmers.

NDMA has indicated that the drought situation could worsen in 20 counties, underlining the need for urgent interventions to prevent catastrophe.

The number of people in need of assistance is projected to increase to 4.35 million by October if the short rains remain poorl. As a result, close to one million children in 23 counties are at great risk of being malnourished and undernourished. Another 115,725 pregnant or lactating women are also acutely malnourished. The worrying picture means that thousands of children need urgent relief supplies while livelihoods are at the risk of destruction unless there is urgent intervention. This demands for swift dispatch of relief food to alleviate suffering and save lives.

Over and above immediate interventions, there is need for more targeted interventions. For instance, the animal off-take programme through which government is meant to buy livestock to enable farmers to afford food and restock when weather improves is often poorly executed. However, this needs to be improved to protect livelihoods and reduce death of livestock. 

Correctly executed, this programme will free communities trapped in a perpetual circle of poverty and illiteracy and set them on a path of economic empowerment. As a general rule, the government needs to come up with mechanisms to mitigate the effects of climate change. Among them is encouraging diversity in agriculture and offering incentives for smart agricultural practices The bottom line is that even as we call for urgent action to protect lives, authorities should come up with lasting policy solutions to avert a recurrence.

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