Kalonzo urges immediate action on drought devastation
By Faith Lagat, February 12, 2026Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has declared the ongoing drought in Northern Kenya a national emergency, calling for swift and decisive government intervention to address the worsening crisis.
In a statement posted on X shortly after returning from Washington, DC, Musyoka described the unfolding situation as grave and urgent. He said the drought affecting the North Eastern region and other parts of the country has gone beyond a seasonal challenge.
“I have just landed from Washington, DC and I must speak about the grave and urgent situation facing our country,” he wrote. “What is unfolding across the North Eastern region and vast parts of our country is not a seasonal challenge.”
“It is a National Emergency. The prolonged drought has devastated livelihoods, wiped out livestock, displaced families, and pushed thousands of our fellow citizens to the brink of survival. Children are going without food. Mothers are walking for kilometres in search of water. Entire communities are watching their only sources of income disappear before their eyes.”
Call for coordinated national response
Kalonzo formally declared the situation in Northern Kenya a national disaster and stressed the need for a coordinated national response.
“The scale of this drought requires a coordinated national response that prioritises food security, emergency water supply, livestock support, and immediate humanitarian intervention for the most affected families,” he stated.
He added that his team would work with domestic and international partners to mobilise resources to cushion affected communities.
“Kenya must stand together. The pain of Northern Kenya is the pain of the entire Republic. This is not a time for complacency. It is a time for compassion, leadership and action. Every life matters. Every Kenyan matters. And we must respond as one nation.”
Gachagua echoes disaster declaration call
Kalonzo’s appeal follows a similar call by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on January 22, 2026.
Speaking during interviews with local media stations in the northeast, Gachagua urged President William Ruto to officially declare the drought a national disaster to unlock donor funding and emergency humanitarian support.
“Please, Ruto, think about your fellow human beings in Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, and Isiolo in Tana River. Because of hunger, declare this a national disaster to attract funding,” Gachagua said.
He referenced his tenure as Deputy President, noting that drought response previously fell under his docket and that he personally visited affected areas during the 2023 drought to coordinate with donors, NGOs, and local leaders.
The government has since announced plans to distribute animal feeds in northern Kenya to help curb livestock losses as the prolonged dry spell continues to strain communities across the region.