IT’S TIME TO RETHINK IN DEALING DROUGT – WAJIR LEADERS TO ACTS

 As you drive around the outskirts of Wajir County you come across a surprising account. the tails of impacts of droughts, images of livestock carcasses, anguished faces of the elderly, despaired women and children left behind at home(a structured makeshifts), the sun hitting you directly making one to think if you are inside incubators, the sun baked remotes of villages gives an aura of hopelessness – a dare need of intervention.

Drought and famine is almost becoming a cliché in Kenya. Despite the existing drought early warning systems we are given, drought disaster response mechanisms and coping strategies remain miserably wanting. More often, drought and famine situations degenerate into dire humanitarian crises before any quick response from all the stakeholders.

in North Eastern Kenya drought is more vicious phenomena that years in years out hit back leaving a trail of pain and worry , it’s a struck of despair that needs a more tackling – with pastoral communities hugely affected .

The drought cycle has become shorter, with droughts becoming more frequent and intense due to global climate change and environmental degradation. . For the communities living in arid and semi-arid areas Wajir County among the Asal region, drought wasn’t a new thing to cope with in earlier years. The people were used to experience droughts allowing pastorals communities to recover and rebuild their livestock and crops before the next drought (way years they were less droughts reason the impact of global warming were less hit) this is not the case anymore. The time for recovery, for rebuilding stocks of food and livestock is becoming shorter every season.

It is also worth noting that the arid lands communities in the past had devised their own drought coping and adaptation strategies. Those strategies are no longer effective enough to cope and adapt to drought despite the third  party approach of in combating climate change-  giving hand to the communities in in terms of giving resilient ways in handling or helping themselves or more of resilient programs – Ngos contributing in empowering the communities in socioeconomic setups. 

The impact of droughts continue to rise and is felt - one is that the drought intensity and frequencies have increased and the people’s predicament has been compounded by political marginalization and chronic underdevelopment, including lack of basic education, infrastructure and health, thereby greatly reducing their capacity to adapt. Thus, they are left at the mercy of government institution on and other agencies of goodwill.

Yes devolution was a dream of panacea well it’s more of tips of an iceberg with chunk of money allocated for various department the rays of the Citizen are not yet settled, more allocations needed for more interventions especially drought related calamities.

 Challenge remains for the County leadership government to deliver the required measures example providing food to the drought-stricken areas in time. Even though the elected leaders tried to aid the vulnerable victims of the ravaging droughts, the issue is, after that, does the elected leader of Wajir County have a set contingency plan for food security given the known drought cycle? We know there is a perfect plan set up blue-print of the County Government that fully set to engage in dealing food security- the Annual Plan 2020-21 draft meeting  that few days was concluded would it be implemented is another query we indulge as citizen who constitutionally have the right to good life – chapter four of the law

Food aside, with drought, conflict over water and pastures is likely to continue in the arid areas- the spill of inter-clan skirmishes that mainly happened when there is scarcity of resources ,fears of conflict are already high or already reported as desperate herders move away from their traditional grazing lands, converging and congesting the few areas that still have water and pasture.  If that is not enough, with water scarcity, chances of diseases outbreaks are quite high either in human or livestock- we have witnessed in the recent months across the County- for example ;cholera, Rift valley, Klazar.

Livestock, a main source of livelihood for pastoralist communities has not been spared either hundreds succumbed and millions are at risk as harsh weather conditions ravage across the County. The livestock purchase off-take programme was a good initiative in the heydays by the government, both as an emergency intervention and as a coping strategy. - Such noble be introduced by the County Government. 

  In the current situation, the animals to be sold off are either too weak to reach market  For instance when I pay visit to the local market the pastoral complain low price imagine   that the price of a goat ,sheep has gone down to Ksh. 1200 from Ksh.8,000 few months ago.

However with this all, there are still challenges in the implementation of drought disaster responses. Even with clearly spelled out roles of the existing institutional structures as it is outlined in the 2009 Draft National Policy for Disaster Management. Most of the response activities are focused on immediate emergency interventions, such as water trucking and destocking. This gives little time for adequate emphasis on long-term measures.

 Another challenge is that the budgetary allocation for overall disaster management is far less than the reasonable amount needed- fall short of financial in dealing emergency. Thus, drought disaster response activities are hampered by inadequate resources allocation. The biggest impediment faced by Kenya like many third world countries, is lack of forward planning and inadequate response to crises. On the other hand, is lack of a full package of data or statistics in dealing or mitigating of calamities- This is a resource that can be used in more sustainable drought management. Unless action is taken, drought will always be a disaster in waiting which will negatively impact on any significant development that the County government may undertake.

Further, our leaders should set up a very robust engagements in mitigating, aiding our people once the drought hit- a marshal plan – holistic approach from policies, political will ,financial allocations and  a quick response be outlined especially now the County is under threat of climate change pastoral community are dare in need in water tracking ,food distributions. Mobile health clinic to provide health service to those far boarders, who went to seek water and pasture- once such affirmative approach is fastracked sure no iota of doubt our people will be free from the haunt of drought, they will be freed from the shackles of poverty and our County development will be higher- GDP- why? There will be additional income from the taxpayer (Wajir resident).

My appeal to all Wajir leaders is to do something about the impact of the drought that is alarming in our County - smallest to flag off water tracking now we know the National Census is almost near. Also to set a way forward in intercepting a bleak .

God bless Wajir people.

Twitter: @WaWajir