The drought situation in Mandera has continued biting hard and affecting livelihoods in the region. The imminent loss of livestock is expected if no intervention is initiated to mitigate the effects.
In Banisa Sub County at the border of Ethiopia, Mzee Abdirahman Ibrahim, a pastoralist said if there will be no rainfall in the next two weeks, there will be imminent livestock losses.
Abdirahman, said the current drought situation has never been experienced for the last 10 years and lack of rainfall for the past two years has caused depletion of pasture and drying of water pans.
He also added that water is supplied using water boozers fortnightly, which is not enough for domestic and livestock use.
Mandera water executive Mohamed Ali admitted the situation is grave but said the county government was committed to fighting the drought effects.
Ali noted that the county government has increased water trucking with two water boozers ferrying water to Banisa residents more frequently.
He said there has been a major human-animal conflict as Monkeys seek for water and food from humans.
The National Drought Management Authority area coordinator Mohamed Alio noted his agency was working towards forming a government multi- agency team to find a lasting solution to the current drought effects.
He disclosed NDMA has already given cash transfers to support over 22, 000 families.
By Dickson Githaiga
