Governors pressure Ruto to visit drought-hit counties, declare national disaster 

The Council of Governors (CoG) now wants President William Ruto to personally visit all drought-stricken counties and declare the dry spell a national disaster.

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama, who chairs the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) Committee of the CoG, said the drought situation in the country is alarming and requires even more intervention from the national government.

“President Ruto and his cabinet should come to the counties and experience the situation on the ground. This will help in attracting much-needed attention and interventions,” Mr Jama said on Tuesday, adding that all ASAL counties are in dire straits. 

“I am making a humble request to the President to find time in his busy schedule to visit some these counties and see for himself the true picture of what is happening,” he said during the launch of drought response initiatives in Garissa. 

He added that more than a half a million residents of Garissa County require relief food to cushion them against hunger. 

Mr Jama also noted that despite ongoing interventions, the drought situation was worsening and called for even more action.

Failed rains

With the failure of the last four rainy seasons, Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.

It is projected that about 4.5 million people in the 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands counties will require humanitarian assistance, more than double the number of people who required help just over a year ago

“Honestly, it is only after the president’s visit that I think he will get to understand the situation. This will attract the attention of the world,” the Garissa County boss insisted, adding that the situation has forced his administration to suspend all development programmes to focus attention on drought relief. 

Soon, he said, a supplementary budget for emergency response will be tabled at the county assembly.

Mr Jama further asked President Ruto to order the military to come to the aid of ASAL counties.

“Our biggest challenge is water supply and we know the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Youth Service (NYS) have the capacity to supply water. Let these trucks come out of their camps and help us,” he said.

He has also proposed suspension of all development plans by the national government to focus on drought response.

According to National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), at least 23 counties have been hit hard by drought.

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