The government has spent over Sh512 million in response to drought, locusts’ invasion and floods in Isiolo County in the last 18 months.
National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), Isiolo County Coordinator Mr Lordman Lekalkuli, said that development partners had contributed over Sh208 million to complement the government’s intervention efforts.
Three Wards of Chareb, Oldonyiro and Sericho are hard hit by drought, the NDMA coordinator said, adding that increasing cases of malnutrition had risen from 15.7 percent in 2020 to 17.8 in January 2022.
Lekalkuli, who was addressing the County Steering Group chaired by Isiolo Deputy County Commissioner, Mr Kepha Marube, said that despite development partners chipping in by providing animal feeds and water trucking to the affected areas, the situation is deteriorating and calls for attention.
He said the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) was in process of distributing 4200 bags of livestock feed to six wards where animals are affected by the harsh drought.
Lekalkuli said that his office had conducted a poverty index survey in all 10 wards in the County and identified that 23,000 families are in need of food support.
He said the number of residents who currently need food following the looming drought is 120,000 adding the same population would need food aid for the next four months when the health condition of their animals which they depend on was expected to improve.
Most of the area population depends on animals’ products and milk for their livelihood, which is threatened following failure of rain last October – December season in most parts of the County.
He said that water trucking would continue in Modogashe and the lower part of Oldonyiro Ward adding that piping of the 26 km water supply line from Merti to Mata-arba by the government has drastically reduced the cost of water trucking in the area.
The NDMA coordinator said that the National Government has drilled 15 new boreholes and repaired 30 others in response to the looming drought that has affected 150,000 people across the county.
He further said the government has provided 15,000 litres of diesel to local communities to reduce drought burden which had bogged them down.
Lekalkuli challenged the County technical working group to prepare weekly reports so as to have updated and vital information that may be used by the CSG in responding to drought situations.
By Abduba Mamo
