27/02/2026
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐, ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ต ๐ง๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐
๐๐บ Abraham Fayo
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๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ - An escalating drought emergency is casting a long and ominous shadow over Marsabit County and the wider northern Kenya region, where entire communities already weakened by years of climate shocks now face the terrifying prospect of deeper hunger and loss.
Fresh humanitarian projections warn that the anticipated March to May long rains, regarded as the lifeblood of pastoral survival, may fall below expectations, a development that could push thousands of families beyond the limits of endurance and into a worsening food crisis.
The warning comes at a time when the physical and economic foundations of pastoral life have already been dangerously weakened. Across Marsabitโs vast and isolated landscape, the drought has left unmistakable scars. Water pans that once sustained entire communities now lie dry and abandoned beneath unforgiving heat.
Grazing fields have lost their vitality, forcing herders into longer and more uncertain migrations in search of pasture. Families who once relied on livestock as a dependable source of food and income now face an increasingly fragile existence shaped by scarcity and loss.
Humanitarian experts caution that the situation remains precarious, with Marsabit firmly among the counties facing elevated drought risk across Kenyaโs Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. For pastoral households in North Horr, Dukana, Maikona, Kalacha, Laisamis, Saku and Moyale, the crisis has already taken root. Household food reserves have diminished. Water access has grown more difficult. Livelihood systems that sustained generations are showing signs of dangerous strain following successive failed rainy seasons that have depleted pasture and weakened livestock.
In grazing areas across the county, the effects of prolonged drought are stark and deeply unsettling. Livestock, once symbols of wealth and stability, have grown visibly weaker, their declining condition mirroring the hardship facing the families who depend on them. Herders travel greater distances under harsh conditions, driven by the urgent need to keep their animals alive in an increasingly hostile environment.
This decline has carried serious nutritional consequences. Milk production, a cornerstone of pastoral diets, has fallen sharply, removing a fundamental source of nourishment from many households. Children have become particularly vulnerable, facing increased risk of malnutrition as the drought continues to erode the resources that sustain their health and development.
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๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐
๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ
The gravity of the drought emergency now confronting northern Kenya extends far beyond isolated hardship.
Humanitarian coalitions, including PACIDA and partners under the ASAL Humanitarian Network, have issued an urgent alert warning that ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ.๐ฏ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎโ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, while ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ญ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ, ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ-๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ to prevent irreversible health consequences.
An additional ๐ญ๐ญ๐ณ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, showing the deepening vulnerability among those least able to withstand prolonged deprivation.
The crisis has intensified following multiple consecutive failed rainy seasons, including the OctoberโDecember 2024 short rains, the below-average MarchโMay 2025 long rains, and the deeply disappointing OctoberโDecember 2025 rains, which delivered barely 30 to 60 percent of expected rainfall levels and rank among the driest seasons recorded in eastern Kenya since 1981.
Four counties; Mandera, Wajir, Kwale and Kilifi, have entered the Alarm Phase, signaling critical drought conditions requiring immediate intervention.
Marsabit, alongside Turkana, Garissa, Isiolo, Samburu and several others, remains in the Alert Phase, an indication of worsening drought stress and rising humanitarian need.
Without a rapid and sustained scale-up of humanitarian support, projections warn that the number of people facing acute hunger could climb towards 3.6 million by mid-2026, pushing vulnerable communities deeper into crisis.
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๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐
The seriousness of the unfolding emergency was noted during a high-level humanitarian briefing convened by the ASAL Humanitarian Network, where humanitarian actors, including PACIDA, warned that northern Kenya is entering a dangerous and precarious phase of drought and food insecurity.
Their analysis revealed that ๐ฏ.๐ฎ๐ณ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, a vast population struggling daily to secure sufficient food.
Within this population, ๐ฎ.๐ด๐ณ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐, a classification that confirms severe strain on household survival systems and growing reliance on emergency coping strategies.
Hundreds of thousands more have slipped into Emergency conditions, bringing them dangerously close to famine thresholds.
Humanitarian projections warn that the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
If the March to May rains perform poorly, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ.๐ฒ๐ต ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, deepening hunger across northern Kenya.
PACIDA Chief Executive Officer Patrick Katelo warned that communities already weakened by years of extreme drought now face renewed danger.
โBefore communities in the ASAL regions could recover from the worst drought in 40 years, they are now facing yet another,โ he said.
โUrgent, coordinated humanitarian interventions are needed to safeguard fragile and at-risk populations.โ he added.
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๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐๐ข๐ญ
The worsening humanitarian situation in neighbouring Mandera County offers a troubling glimpse into what prolonged rainfall failure can unleash.
Following poor rainfall, more than ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฑ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, while nutrition screenings have identified thousands of malnourished children in need of urgent care.
Humanitarian agencies warn that Marsabit faces similar risk should rainfall fail once again.
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๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ
Water scarcity has emerged as one of the most visible and devastating consequences of the drought.
In response to worsening shortages, PACIDA, with support from Caritas Germany, delivered emergency water supplies to drought-affected residents in Mudhe and Horonder villages, offering temporary relief to families whose traditional water sources had collapsed.
In the remote villages of Yaa Gara, Mangutho, and Gandile in Maikona Ward, PACIDA distributed food assistance to 365 vulnerable households, targeting communities whose survival systems had been pushed to breaking point.
Emergency water trucking was also extended to Mangutho and Gandile, ensuring access to safe water in areas where boreholes had failed and water sources had disappeared entirely.
These interventions have provided lifesaving relief, stabilizing food and nutrition access and protecting vulnerable households from deeper humanitarian distress.
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๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐
PACIDA has also implemented targeted cash transfer interventions in Maikona and Kalacha wards.
A total of 365 vulnerable households will receive KSh 9,064 per month for four months, providing direct financial support to households struggling to survive.
The assistance allows families to purchase food, access water and protect remaining livelihood assets, offering a crucial layer of stability amid worsening drought conditions.
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๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐
Marsabit County Government has expanded its drought response operations in recent weeks.
Governor Mohamud Ali oversaw the distribution of ๐ฒ,๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ,๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐, reaching approximately ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ across all wards.
The county has also repaired ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐, deployed rapid response water teams and expanded emergency water access in drought-affected areas.
These efforts are helping stabilize conditions and prevent further humanitarian deterioration.
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๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง
Hope now hangs on the mercy of clouds that have too often passed without promise. Families who once lived with dignity from their livestock are watching the last pillars of their survival weaken, one failed season at a time. Each day without rain pushes them closer to decisions no family should have to make, selling their final animals, skipping meals or abandoning the only way of life they have ever known.
Humanitarian aid has slowed the descent, but it has not stopped it. The window to prevent a far deeper catastrophe is rapidly narrowing as drought tightens its grip across northern Kenyaโs fragile drylands.
And unless the rains return soon, what is now a warning will become a disaster.
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข
