As far as drought severity is concerned, the CEO says the 2011 drought was among the most severe in Kenya’s modern history. The quick intervention by Kenyans through the ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ campaign however, was able to control the severity of the situation and in turn saved many lives.
“The 1997 drought was also a catastrophic kind. Then there wasn’t as much done as the 2011 instance, so more lives were lost.”
The 2011 drought, the CEO said, was part of the reason why the Authority was formed; in a bid to respond effectively to drought emergencies in the future.
“The government then directed Parliament to come up with a solution of dealing with drought in the country, which is why the Authority was formed.”
Away from Kenya, the 1984 drought experienced in Ethiopia is however one of the worst in the world in modern history.
– On tackling Drought –
Arid and semi-arid areas are incidentally some of the most insecure places in the country. The Authority recommends that for drought to be dealt with for once and for all, there needs to be a restoration of peace and security. Only then can ways of mitigating drought be laid down and work effectively.
Infrastructure is also tied to the eradication of drought. According to the CEO, it is impossible to end drought emergencies if drought prone areas continue lagging behind in terms of road network coverage, average distance covered by water and household electricity connection among other factors.
And that’s not all. Human capital in drought prone areas also needs to be addresses.
“The status of social services in arid and semi-arid areas is generally well below that in the rest of Kenya. Service provision has been under-resourced, to the extent that critical services are irregular, unreliable and inadequate of low quality, and too distant from those who need them.”
– What the organisation really does –
According to the CEO, since the formation of the organisation as a response to the 2011 drought emergency, many people have been confused about the role it plays in the country.
“People for instance always assume that whenever there is drought, that we are the ones who respond to it by handing out food and water. But that is not what we do.”
He says that the Authority instead goes around the country to study climate changes, including water levels and quality of yields. The information gathered is then used to determine whether drought is to be expected, whether it is already there and if so, its magnitude is also determined.
This information is then gathered and distributed to the relevant bodies. For instance, ministries such as that of Agriculture, Water, Finance and Health may be given this information upon which they are mandated to take the appropriate steps.
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