Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Director of Communications Philip Etale has predicted a hunger season to ravage many Kenyan families as the dry season persists.

Taking to X on Sunday, November 30, 2025, Etale argued that Kenyans are staring at imminent starvation as maize fields are choked and sun-baked.

Hunger crisis looming

”I can foresee hunger striking Kenya in the coming days. Farmers who plant maize twice in a year have not seen rainfall for two months now. The crop in the field is drying up; maize and beans look choked and sun-baked. Most of them are now giving up because the crop is completely destroyed and only left for animal feed,” he said.

Etale’s hunger prediction comes after the Kenya Meteorological Department released a weekly update that shows sunny intervals will dominate several parts of the country, although a few regions will experience rainfall.

On Saturday, November 29, 2025, Kenya Met warned that strong southerly winds exceeding 25 knots (12.5 m/s) were expected over Marsabit and Turkana counties.

“Sunny intervals expected over several parts of the country. However, rainfall is expected over a few parts of the country. Strong southerly winds exceeding 25 knots (12.5 m/s) are expected over Marsabit and Turkana counties,” read the Kenya Met statement in part.

Amid the unfavourable weather conditions for agriculture, the World Bank has pledged to support Kenya’s food security campaign by proposing to build 50 mega dams to expand land under irrigation by 2.5 million acres.

While meeting the World Bank Africa Executive Director of Africa Group One, Zarau Kibwe, at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, President William Ruto confirmed that the financial institution found the initiative as Kenya’s only route to sustainable and increased agricultural production.

The Head of State also hailed the World Bank for taking a bold decision in setting up the National Infrastructure Fund to expand the road and rail network, irrigation and energy generation in the country.

Boosting food production

”With 85 per cent of Kenya being arid and semi-arid, irrigation is the new frontier for increased food production and productivity. Rain-fed agriculture in 15 per cent of our arable land has reached its limits,” President Ruto said through his X account.

According to President Ruto on the World Bank project, the National Infrastructure Fund is aimed at mobilising finance to build the 50 dams, 20,000km of roads, especially in rural Kenya.