NAIROBI- Principal Secretary in the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, Kello Harsama, on Monday led a high-level drought and food security briefing in Nairobi, as new data from the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) confirms a sharp deterioration of conditions across northern Kenya.

He was joined by Principal Secretary for Special Programmes, Ismael Madey.

According to NDMA’s latest early-warning update, Mandera County has now entered the Alarm drought phase, signalling severe stress on water sources, pasture, and household food security. Nine counties — Wajir, Garissa, Kilifi, Kitui, Marsabit, Kwale, Kajiado, Isiolo and Tana River  remain in Alert, while thirteen others are showing a steady decline.

NDMA reports that the failure of the October–December short rains and persistent high temperatures have dried up most surface water sources, especially in northern counties.

In Mandera, more than 95 percent of water pans and natural catchments have dried, forcing over 120,000 residents to rely on emergency water trucking, a number expected to rise to more than 250,000 by January 2026 if conditions worsen.

The prolonged drought has also depleted pasture, leading to long-distance livestock migration and weakened animals. In several ASAL counties, livestock diseases have emerged due to poor grazing conditions, rising malnutrition among livestock, and the use of contaminated water sources.

NDMA has also raised concern over rising acute malnutrition cases among children under five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The drought situation is worsening due to the poor performance of the current short rains season. Thirteen (13) counties are classified in the ‘Normal’ drought phase, nine (9) counties in “Alert” and one (1) in ‘Alarm’ phase

Food insecurity is escalating rapidly, with projections indicating that over 2.1 million Kenyans will require assistance by early 2026. NDMA notes that households are increasingly adopting negative coping mechanisms such as skipping meals, reducing food portions, and selling off livestock at low prices — further undermining long-term resilience.

During the briefing, senior officials discussed urgent interventions, including:

• Fast-tracking borehole repairs and equipping stalled water points

• Expanding water trucking to vulnerable communities

• Managing increased livestock migration to reduce conflict and resource pressure

• Strengthening peace and security coordination in hotspot areas

• Distributing government relief food in all severely affected counties

• Mobilising national crop residues to support livestock and avert large-scale losses

PS Harsama reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding lives and livelihoods across the ASALs, noting that a coordinated national response is essential as drought conditions worsen.

He stressed the need for continuous monitoring, swift resource deployment, and close collaboration between national agencies, county governments and development partners.

The briefing was attended by a high-level delegation, including Hon. Adan Keynan (Eldas), Hon. Major Bashir (Mandera North), Hon. Abdu Haro (Mandera South), Hon. Aden Daud (Wajir East), Hon. Yussuf Farah (Wajir West), Hon. Abdikadir Hussein (Lagdera) and Hon. Adan Haji (Mandera West). Also present were Lt. Col. (Rtd) Hared Adan, CEO of NDMA; Hon. Mohammed Elmi, Chair of the National Livestock Development and Promotion Service; Dr. Dominic Menjo, the President’s Advisor on Food Security; Ibrahim Rashid, NEDI Coordinator; and senior NDMA technical officers.

The government has pledged to intensify response measures to protect both human and livestock populations as Kenya faces yet another season of heightened drought risk.