The government has embarked on livestock off-take programme in more than 20 counties, to cushion against the effects of drought, with the plan set to cost more than Sh500 million.

The six-week programme, which is being spearheaded by the national government and other partners including the Red Cross and the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) is aimed at mitigating the effects of losses to farmers in Arid and Semi Arid (ASAL) regions as a result of death of livestock because of persistent drought.

The programme will  benefit 267,000 people in the affected counties: Kwale, Lamu, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Turkana, Samburu, West Pokot, Baringo, Kajiado, Narok, Laikipia, Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Makueni, Kitui, Marsabit, Isiolo, Wajir, Garissa and Mandera.

North Rift Red Cross Regional Manager Esther Chege said the programme will see livestock slaughtered and the meat distributed to the hunger-stricken population.

Chege said West Pokot and Turkana counties, which are the worst hit by the persistent drought, will benefit from the programme in the North Rift region.

Slaughter livestock

She said that in Turkana County, more than 3,000 livestock will be slaughtered which will benefit more than 45,000 food insecure people, while 1,310 livestock will be slaughtered to benefit 13,100 people in West Pokot County.

“We believe that this for us is a milestone towards mindset change and we are seeing our communities warming up to this. We know of this is a drop in the ocean as we will have reached more people but this is the targeted number of people at the moment due to the funding,” said Chege.

More than 120,000 people  in Turkana County and another 85,000 in West Pokot County are in dire need of relief food aid, according to data from the Red Cross.

According to government Spokesperson Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna, 2.7 million Kenyans are in need of  humanitarian assistance  adding that the situation was expected to worsen in the coming weeks.

“The government is determined to ensure that no one dies of hunger and is providing emergency food aid and relief cash transfer programmes to cushion and improve the livelihoods of drought victims,” Oguna told People Daily on phone.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, in September last year declared the current drought a national disaster and mobilized all government agencies to respond to the drought.

Some regions in the country like the North Eastern have not received any rains for three consecutive seasons leaving agriculture and livestock dependent households destitute.

According to experts, the devastating drought has been caused by a dramatic shift in weather patterns blamed on climate change. The World Food Program (WFP),  have stated that crop failures and a high rate of livestock deaths has dealt a crushing blow to the affected communities as they lack food to sell  and for own consumption due to the failed rainy seasons.

Oguna said food assistance and other humanitarian support will be scaled up in the coming months to reach a larger proportion of the population affected by the drought.

“The government is determined to ensure that no one will die of hunger due to the persistent drought since it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that drought victims receive food aid,” said Oguna.

Multi- sectoral approach

According to Oguna,  the government through a multi-sectoral approach is also coordinating national drought interventions such as livestock off-take programme, water trucking and construction of dams.

He said the government will continue its distribution of relief food and cash transfer programs through mobile money transfer platforms to assist vulnerable people in areas hit by severe food shortages.

The government spokesperson disclosed that the government has spent Sh680 million in food aid and cash transfer programmes and a further Sh350 million in water trucking this year alone in 23 counties affected by drought.