Ruku dismisses claims govt was caught off guard by ongoing drought
By Cynthia Lodite, February 13, 2026Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has dismissed claims that the government was caught flat-footed concerning the looming drought crisis experienced in various parts of the country.
Speaking during an interview with a local media house on Thursday, February 13, 2026, Ruku dismissed allegations that the government had to wait for the deepening drought and food security crisis to be a disaster.
According to the Public Service CS, the government was aware of the upcoming drought crisis as of July 2025 and was well prepared with measures to curb the situation.
“The government did not wait for the drought to be a disaster. We knew, and that is why we kept on preparing from July last year, and we have data to support that,” Ruku said.
In light of the harsh reality of the drought situation, the CS went on explaining that in the counties which are severely affected, distribution of food is done twice every month.
“The government has not been caught flat-footed as far as the drought is concerned. In the counties which are severely affected, distribution of food is done twice every month, and it is a huge amount of food,” he added.
Kalonzo remarks on drought
On the other hand, the Wiper Patriotic Front 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.”