The counties of Mandera, Turkana, Samburu, Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, West Pokot (eastern parts), and Baringo (Tiaty areas) are experiencing worse case scenarios of drought due to failed rains. Other counties like Taita Taveta, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Nyeri, Laikipia, Narok, Makueni, Meru and Lamu show signs of some sort of drought and hence limited food and water as a result of the ongoing drought situation. Sometime last year, Kenya witnessed a wave of strong rains in many parts of the country which caused untold destruction of infrastructure, deaths and slowed agricultural activity in the affected areas. High levels of flooding were witnessed in many areas and the increased water eventually found itself in the Indian Ocean and other water bodies, and not much was utilized or stored for future use, including in addressing the current drought levels. We can conclusively see a pattern of flooding, drought and famine, where one follows the other, and hence the need to cut off this cycle of drought that is followed by the havoc caused by rainfall and flooding. When Joseph interpreted the dream for the Egyptian Pharaoh on the coming seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, he was appointed in charge of food collection to prepare adequately, and this action has been philosophized as the “Joseph” effect, which provides that periods of success/plenty including abundant rainfall may be followed by periods of scarcity, flooding and other destruction, hence need to prepare.
Five lessons can be drawn for the country going forward: First, water available during the rainy seasons, the massive surface runoff should be stored for livestock and agricultural use in dry season through construction of dams and reservoirs, which increases water access. Secondly, food grown in rainy seasons should be properly handled or stored, through mapping and operationalizing secure food systems. Thirdly, farmers need constant education and sensitization on new methods of farming, crop handling and storage, including exposure to new technologies, practices and operationalization of the agricultural extension programmes by counties. Fourthly, Kenyans needs to optimize and prioritize development of adequate agricultural supply chains that addresses the flow of information and products – acquisition of materials like seeds, their transformation into finished products and distribution to end users. Factors of production, infrastructure like access roads, markets and pricing of products must incentivize farmers. There must be coordinated ways through which agricultural produce moves effectively to the areas it is needed. Let’s enact laws that allow for such mobility since availability of food and pasture, going forward, is a security issue which will be aggravated by climate change phenomenon. Fifthly, we ought to learn from antiquity that in the history of urbanization, which made it possible for countries to emerge, beginning in Mesopotamia, civilizations which did not properly consider these cycles became extinct. Dr. Mutegi Giti, Urban management, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) & Environment Specialist. mutegigiti@gmail.com, @danielgiti.
Dr. Daniel Mutegi Giti 