MPs petitioned to approve ksh19.9B for drought amid surging food crisis
By Aloys Michael, May 21, 2026The State Department for Special Programmes has appealed to Parliament to approve an additional Ksh19.9 billion to strengthen drought response measures as Kenya faces a deepening food crisis affecting millions of vulnerable households across arid and semi-arid regions.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Principal Secretary Ismail Maalim Madey warned that recurring droughts and climate-related disasters were stretching the government’s emergency response capacity beyond its limits.
The session, chaired by Pokot South MP Peter Lochakapong, heard that the department had been allocated only Ksh162.8 million for emergency food assistance in the 2026/27 financial year, an amount the PS described as grossly insufficient in the face of rising humanitarian needs.
“Provision of relief assistance to affected populations remains the core mandate of the State Department. However, the current allocation of Ksh162.8 million for emergency relief is inadequate to address the increasing humanitarian needs arising from recurrent droughts,” Madey told the committee.
The appeal comes at a time when many communities in drought-hit counties are grappling with acute food shortages, livestock losses and collapsing livelihoods after repeated failed rainy seasons.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that prolonged drought conditions are increasing dependency on relief food and exposing vulnerable families to hunger.
To illustrate the scale of the crisis, Madey disclosed that the government had already invoked Article 223 of the Constitution during the current financial year to authorise Ksh12.65 billion in emergency expenditure for drought interventions.
“The underfunding is likely to severely limit the State Department’s ability to undertake timely and effective interventions, sustain humanitarian operations and provide adequate assistance to vulnerable populations,” he warned.
Funding gaps
Out of the requested allocation, the department is seeking Ksh14 billion for emergency relief operations and a further Ksh5 billion to operationalise and maintain the Strategic Food Reserve, which currently has no budgetary allocation despite being a critical national disaster response mechanism.
“Despite the critical role it plays, the State Department is unable to implement this mandate due to lack of a budgetary allocation for maintenance of the Strategic Food Reserve,” Madey said.
The PS also told lawmakers that the department was struggling with operational challenges, including acute understaffing and overcrowded office space.
According to the department, only nine technical officers are currently in place against an approved establishment of 62.
MPs from across the political divide backed the department’s appeal, arguing that it remains central to Kenya’s disaster preparedness and humanitarian response despite years of budgetary constraints.
Committee chairperson Lochakapong raised concerns over logistical challenges affecting the final stages of food distribution to affected communities.
“We also find that after relief food is delivered to DCCs, the Department’s role technically ends there. But because there is no facilitation for last-mile distribution, some of the food ends up being sold to raise transport resources to reach affected areas,” he said.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba commended the department for providing humanitarian assistance impartially, particularly to vulnerable families living in informal settlements.
Embu Woman Representative Pamela Njeru criticised the continued underfunding of the agency.
“They deal with marginalised people, and they themselves should not be marginalised,” she said.
Banisa MP Ali Maalim Hassan defended the department’s previous drought interventions, saying the measures helped avert a far worse humanitarian disaster during the last drought cycle.
“If it wasn’t for their intervention, bearing in mind the last drought we had, we could be talking about other very bad things today,” he said.