MPs from the North Eastern region are urging the Government to immediately declare the ongoing drought a national disaster, warning that more than 2.1 million people in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) are at risk of severe food shortages.
Leaders from the Northern Frontier Counties (NFC), led by Eldas MP Adan Keynan, said yesterday that the failure of the short rains has pushed communities to the brink, and insisted that the Government must now provide a long-term and decisive response.
Speaking during a press briefing in Parliament, Keynan said counties such as Mandera, Wajir, Turkana and Tana River are experiencing worsening drought conditions.
“The October–December short rains have performed far below normal, worsened by La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole. These patterns have produced higher temperatures and very little rainfall.
Current food security assessments indicate that at least 2.1 million people in ASAL counties were projected to face crisis-level hunger between October and January 2026,” he said.
He added that most households have already depleted their food reserves and are turning to the market, where prices have skyrocketed.
At the same time, dwindling water sources and pasture have crippled livestock productivity, with diseases spreading among weakened animals and threatening the pastoral economy.
“Competition for water and grazing areas is intensifying, leading to rising tensions in pastoral communities. Women and children are at even greater risk as malnutrition and displacement increase. With La Niña and the negative Indian Ocean Dipole expected to persist, we are likely to see the drought stretch well into early 2026,” he warned.
The leaders called on the Government to expand emergency interventions food aid, cash transfers and livestock support to cushion the worst-hit counties. They also urged the State to prioritise borehole drilling, water trucking, and repair of community water points, noting that many riverbeds have already dried up.
The MPs further emphasised the need for long-term climate adaptation, including drought-resilient agriculture, fodder production, livelihood diversification, and the integration of early-warning systems into county planning.
They noted that livestock losses are escalating, with animals dying or losing value, and urged the Government to revive the livestock offtake programme.
Mandera West MP Yussuf Adan said the crisis leaves no room for delay, criticising what he described as the Government’s recurring failure to prepare for drought cycles.
“This situation demands urgent action. Every year, we talk about budgets, but now lives are at stake. The Government must declare drought a national disaster immediately. If nothing is done, people will die we are staring at mass casualties,” he said.
Wajir North MP Saney Ibrahim Abdi echoed the concerns, saying the Government cannot feign surprise when drought patterns are well known.
“The Government’s first duty is to protect lives. I don’t understand why we should be appealing for emergency measures when the patterns repeat themselves. Proper funding for the National Disaster Management Authority is essential. Drought will always come, but preparedness is the issue. The responsibility lies squarely with the Government,” he said.
