By Suleiman Sabdow.
Thousands of Wajir county residents today turn out in various mosques in the county to seek intercession from Allah from the ravaging drought that continues to wreck havoc in the entire North Eastern province.
The special prayer called “Salatul Istisqaa” saw worshippers from all walks of life converge in mosques in unison leaving behind their political and social alignments.
Speaking to journalists at Saad grounds in Wajir town, Sultan Najib called on people living in Wajir to be kind to each other so as to attract mercy from the Almighty Allah (SW) that will result in the skies opening up for rain.
“I would like to ask residents in Wajir to show kindness to each other and help each other during this difficult time,” said Sultan Najib.
He further urged local leaders in the county led by the county governor Ahmed Muktar to set aside emergency funds to supply food and other essential commodities to the affected residents in a bid to cushion them from this severe drought and bad economic times.
“I am appealing to the elected county leaders led by the county governor to come out and help people during this difficult moments by supplying water to areas severely affected by the drought,”
The devastating biting dry spell has led to starvation of hundreds of people and claimed the lives of animals in the Arid and Semi- Arid counties leaving a trail of destruction with the distraught pastoralists gasping for relief from the Almighty Allah.
At least 2.4 million people risk going hungry by November as drought ravages northern and eastern Kenya, a nearly threefold increase from last year, the World Food Programme warned Friday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought a natural disaster last month, with 2.1 million people already grappling with hunger, according to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
The WFP’s alarming projection is nearly three times the figure recorded last year between October and December, when 852,000 people were facing severe food insecurity, the UN agency said.
“This drought comes right on the back of Covid-19 which has had a tremendous economic impact on livelihoods. It comes on the back of locusts and, in some areas, floods,” WFP representative and country director Lauren Landis told AFP.
“We’re desperately worried that the next short (rainy) season coming in October will also fail and that means then we’re going to be in (an) extremely dire situation,” she said.
“I fear we’re going to reach the level of 2017, our last big drought here in Kenya. I think we’re looking at 2.5 million people in the coming months that will be affected.”
The crisis has already left vulnerable populations reeling, the WFP said, with over 465,200 children under five and more than 93,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition in Kenya’s worst-affected counties.
The food and water shortages have also severely affected the ability to farm crops and rear livestock, raising the risk of violence as people compete for access to land and essential supplies.
“Drought brings together a conflict for resources. Everyone is searching for water, everyone is searching for feed for livestock, farmers are trying to still grow crops, all doing it with limited resources,” said Landis.
“We’ve already seen (violence) in many places in Kenya and I sense it will only get worse.”
The WFP has appealed for $139 million (120 million euros) in fresh funding to tackle the humanitarian crisis.
“That’s simply for getting us through to the next rainy season. Should that rainy season fail, the needs will be even higher,” Landis warned.
