Marsabit and Mandera counties are staring at imminent famine amid a ravaging drought.
More than 10,000 households in Turbi Sub-county in Marsabit have been affected. This comes after one-and-a-half years of below-average rainfall.
Mr Katelo Ramata, a resident of Bubisa Location in Marsabit, said hundreds of pastoralist families are facing a difficult choice between feeding themselves or their animals.
“We’re staring hunger and possible death in the face if the situation does not improve,”Mr Ramata said. Smaller animals were first to die, followed by cows, donkeys and camels.
Most of the herders have been forced to leave their manyattas and travel for more than 170kms in search of pasture in Hurri Hills, North Horr and even neighbouring Ethiopia.
Entire livelihoods have been wiped out for families that rely on the livestock for meat, milk, transportation and trade.
The situation has been further aggravated by the Covid-19 lockdown as pastoralists are finding it difficult to transport their animals to Nairobi to avert further losses.
Mr Ramata claimed that, over the last two weeks alone, over 1,000 goats and sheep have died.