Vultures in Marsabit county are no longer at ease with meat. Not at this time when most Kenyans are going to bed on an empty stomach. The vultures in Dukana area, North Horr constituency, have simply had enough and are wondering where the blessings have come from.
In fact, they lazily move around, looking for alternatives, even though there are plenty of carcasses of dead sheep and goats. In Dukana alone, tens of thousands of sheep and goats have succumbed to the ongoing drought in the area, leaving carcasses all over. Water points are no better, as they are piles and piles around, showing the dire eff ects of the drought ravaging parts of the country. Residents, on the contrary, are reeling in shock, wondering who might have cursed them by bringing drought.
The county government is struggling to come to terms with the situation. Governor Ukur Yatani has called for help.
“We have distributed food, water and pasture. We have done our best but we are overwhelmed,” he said. Th e governor said the problem is now beyond the capacity of the county, and they are now “praying for the rain”.
“We have lost 60 per cent of our livestock, which is the county’s source of livelihood. Lives are now under threat as there is no pasture, no water as well as food,” Yatani said.
Speaking at Dukana on February 1, he said when he realised the situation was getting out of hand, he immediately called Kenya Red Cross Society secretary general Abbass Gullet, who deployed offi cials to assess the situation.
The results were heartbreaking. Livestock could even die in the presence of owners, whether at water points or while looking for pasture.
The county has now been forced to suspend all projects and direct all en- ergies towards tackling the drought.
“We have spent Sh500 million and we have suspended all development projects so we can raise Sh450 million,” Yatani said, adding that over 230,000 residents have been affected.
The governor said all pointers show the drought might persist in his county, a move likely to kill up to 90 per cent of livestock, the main economic activity in the area, pushing millions of people to abject poverty.
Marginalisation of the county also has a bearing on its problems, as there is a poor road network. The two oversaw the de-stocking exercise of more than 1,000 weak but healthy sheep and goats.
The national government had promised to set up a fund under the Public Finance Management Act to fi nd a long-term solution to drought.
The initial amount put in the fund was Sh2 billion. Yatani said the funds have not been disbursed, urging President Uhuru Kenyatta to “rise to the occasion”.
Countrywide, over two million Kenyans are contending with pangs of hunger. According to the Kenya Red Cross Society, 11 counties have been classifi ed in the alert phase of the drought.
These are Embu, Kajiado, Kitui, Laikipia, Makueni, Narok, Nyeri, Tai- ta Taveta, Meru and Th araka Nithi. Th irteen counties are classified to be in the alarm phase.
These are Baringo, Garissa, Isi- olo, Kilifi , Kwale, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River Tur- kana, Wajir and West Pokot. It is expected some will slide into emergency phase this month.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network predicts that 11 counties will experience food security crisis between February and May.
A detailed assessment of the situation is ongoing. Yatani said some of the 50 additional boreholes the county sunk after taking power have since dried, worsening matters.
“We are now telling residents to move to where we can access so they get water,” he said, adding that some schools have been closed. Yatani said even though the national government is providing maize to the affected areas, coordination remains a huge challenge.
“It is diffi cult to get food to reach those in need. The national govern- ment should be well-coordinated,” he said. Th e governor admitted that it will be difficult to deal with the damage that will have been brought about by the drought.
As the governor and Gullet were addressing the media, women carrying containers they were using to transport meat sat pensively, waiting to be given their share of the already slaughtered animals.
During the destocking exercise, the benefi ciaries, who are mainly the vulnerable, are first identifi ed by the community.
Goats and sheep are then brought in, inspected by two veterinary officers stationed in Dukana abattoir. Should they fi nd the goat or sheep fi t for consumption, details of the seller will be entered before the vendor, who also comes from the community, pays them Sh2,000.
The seller, who also qualifi es to get meat, will sign against his details before the animal is shoved to the slaughterhouse nearby through one end of the door.
As slaughtering of the animal goes on, a huge group of mainly old and weak men and women is seen lining up in the other door to be given meat.
The whole meat is given to each benefi ciary and advised to use their traditional knowledge and preserve them.
Gullet decried that a lot of animals had died and the least they could do to sympathise with the community was to destock their animals by buying them off before giving them back the meat.
“This is the little help we could offer. If we had more money, we would have bought more,” he said, sending an appeal to Kenyans to help the situation.
Gullet said the cash transfer of Sh3,000 per month will also be enhanced to help the vulnerable.
He said the society aims to raise Sh1 billion through the appeal, 75 per cent of which will go towards cash transfer, while 20 per cent (Sh200 million) will go to destocking.
Gullet said a long-term solution is what is now needed, as drought is almost predictable. Aisha Ali, one of the beneficiaries of destocking, was happy to success Beehives take the sting out of jumbo raids in Tsavo fully sell her goat.