DRC assessment shows the rapid deterioration of the protection environment for pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya
The compounded effects of the most severe and prolonged drought on record, skyrocketing food and fuel prices, desert locust infestations and Covid-19 have pushed agro-pastoralist communities past the breaking point.
Overview
While drought is not new to the region, the scale and duration of the current episode is unprecedented, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). With the fifth consecutive rainy season (September-December) predicted to fail, needs will continue to quickly escalate. 2,100,000 people currently face critical food insecurity across northern pastoral Kenya, including over 1,100,000 in Emergency (IPC4) and some potentially at risk of famine (IPC 5). Malnutrition rates are rising quickly, including an estimated 652,960 children aged 6-59 months and 96,480 pregnant and lactating women require treatment of acute malnutrition (IPC data) leading to dreadful, long-term consequences on their development.
The loss of pasture and water points for livestock have led to the death of over 1,500,000 million cattle in the ASAL. In September alone, over 17,000 livestock died in Mandera county, including cattle, camel, sheep and goats. Increasing deaths of camels and shoats indicate the increasing severity of the drought, as they are the most resilient and are often the last to die. Livestock are a significant livelihood and nutrition asset for the predominantly pastoralist communities, and critically, fresh milk is a key source of nutrition for children under five.
In order to fully understand the extent of the crisis, DRC conducted a rapid needs assessment in Turkana, Garissa, and Mandera counties, including 258 individual interviews between 12-18 September 2022.
Sixty-seven percent of those interviewed were female, and 40% of the entire sample were female-headed households (FHH). Fourteen percent were under the age of 25, and twelve percent were over sixty years of age. DRC also interviewed milk producers and vendors across 12 locations in the 3 counties to understand the barriers to milk production and the milk market – as well as where inputs could help stabilise this value chain.
Source: Danish Refugee Council