A farm in Tseikuru ward of Mwingi North whose crop has dried up following the failed OND rainfall/Musembi Nzengu.
Kitui CEC for Agriculture and Livestock, Stephen Kimwele, during the press briefing in his office on Thursday/Musembi Nzengu.

The failed October-November-December (OND) short rains have left about a quarter of the 1.2 million people in Kitui county exposed to severe drought and vulnerable, Agriculture and Livestock executive Stephen Kimwele has said.

 

“We are staring at a drought that is going to affect at least 800,000 people among the Kitui population,” said Kimwele on Thursday.

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He said a last November food security assessment by the National Drought Management Authority categorised Kitui county in the alert stage of drought due to OND failed rains.

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“We are drifting towards alarm stage. The situation is worsening,” he said while briefing the media on the performance of the rains in his office.

 

The county agriculture boss said the ending rains were, as earlier forecasted by the meteorological department, depressed, erratic and poorly distributed across Kitui.

 

He said the poor rains left crops withering and drying up in many parts of the county leaving residents counting heavy losses.

 

The executive added that in dire cases, some areas of Kitui county did not receive a drop of the rain implying that the planted crops did not germinate. Livestock especially cattle do not have enough pasture, he said.

 

Kimwele said although Met had predicted that Kitui would receive below normal rainfall during the current OND season, the harsh reality has dawned with the rains predicted to end this week or next week.

 

The executive said areas hard hit by the failed rains were parts of Mwingi North, Mwingi Central, Mwingi West, Kitui South, Kitui East and Kitui Rural subcounties where farmers have been left counting huge losses after their crops failed.

 

“However there are few areas of Kitui that received a measure of fair rains like Kitui Central, parts of Kitui West and Nzambani area of Kitui East. The farmers in these areas are likely to get little harvest,” he said.

 

He said Kitui currently did not have adequate food reserves to feed its people as the county was relying on food imports from other parts of the Country. He added that pasture for livestock is also deficient.

 

“As we talk, Kitui has very little food reserves, most of the food is being imported from other areas. Only in a few areas do we have value chain horticultural crops like tomatoes and kales thriving,” he said.

 

However, an optimistic Kimwele said the people of Kitui need not panic or alarmed by the drought situation as the county government had taken proactive intervention measures to cushion them and mitigate negative impact.

 

“Measures are in place to cushion the people and mitigate against the impact of drought and unforeseen risks that would affect the farmers,” he said.

 

The executive said mitigation was being take in collaboration with national government and development partners.

 

He said interventions would include the distribution of relief food rations to the hungry to preclude starvation.

 

Kimwele added distribution of fodder for livestock and sinking boreholes and distribution of water to hard hit areas was also in the cards.