The devastating drought in Mandera has reached unprecedented levels of alarming state with more than 400 000 households severely affected by the ravaging drought in Mandera County.

 An estimated 200,000 people are experiencing severe food insecurity while around 100,000 children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of 2022.

 Acute food insecurity has drastically worsened since the beginning of 2022 with an estimated 200,000 people already experiencing worse situations.           A good number of households sleep on empty stomachs as the day goes by, Mohamed Hassan, a resident, says adding that they are staring at a catastrophe.

 The affected households lack basic needs like food and water and the lucky ones get one meal a day.

  Addressing the media at the county headquarters, Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif raised concerns on the ongoing water shortage, food insecurity, malnutrition, limited pastures and reduced livestock prices.

 He said the county is staring at a bleak future and appealed to the national government for speedy help the affected population across the country.

 “We want to call upon the national government to declare drought a national disaster”.

 The county chief added that despite bearing the tag of pastoral community, a considerable number of livestock is lost daily due to starvation and drought related diseases.  The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) local office warned that if the rains expected in September fails, the county will be in a crisis.