The Catholic Relief Services has in partnership with Caritas Isiolo and the county government rolled out livestock feed distribution to pastoralists in five wards hard hit by the drought.
A consignment of 100 tonnes of range cubes was on Tuesday flagged off for distribution to more than 800 pastoralist households in Cherab, Chari, Sericho, Oldonyiro and Garbatulla within Isiolo County, areas that the National Drought Management Authority has flagged as the most affected.
CRS Country Director Rebecca Hallam said the six-month drought emergency response project sought to cushion vulnerable families and pastoralists to build communities resilience against drought and other climatic shocks.
“The livestock feeds are meant to cushion pastoralists against further losses by salvaging the remaining emaciated animals in the most affected areas,” the official said in a speech read by Ms Mary Ndurungi, who was accompanied by Isiolo Deputy Governor James Lowasa.
The organisation also donated fast moving spare parts for rehabilitation of four boreholes, two in Merti and rest in Garbatulla, and a truck with 42, 000 litre capacity for water trucking services in parts of Garbatulla, Sericho and Merti.
Among the areas grappling with acute water shortage include Chari, Cherab, Modogashe, Tuale, Lagaaman and Longopito.
Isiolo Deputy Governor James Lowasa flags off a consignment of livestock feeds offered by the Catholic Relief Services and targeting over 800 pastoralist households in five wards on February 14, 2022.
This as the price of hay continues to skyrocket exposing livestock keepers to untold suffering as majority of the residents are faced with hunger making it impossible for them to access three meals a day.
The highly nutritious feeds provide animals with protein and energy to maintain the required weight and body condition.
Mr Lowasa said pastoralists were struggling to dispose of the emaciated animals as they were fetching lower prices at local markets and appealed for joint efforts from all to reach out to all affected pastoralists.
“Priority for majority of our people now is paying school fees which makes many spend the money they would have used to buy food. The situation has seen many mothers get malnourished as well as increased conflicts due to an influx of animals being driven into our county from Samburu and Marsabit,” he said.
A water truck offered by Catholic Relief Services to assist Isiolo residents facing water crisis access the commodity for domestic use during flagging off in Isiolo town on February 14, 2022.
The county, he said, will continue partnering with various stakeholders and people of good will to alleviate the suffering residents were going through even as reports indicated more than half of the county’s total population were in dire need of food aid.
“We also appeal to our people to embrace the culture of keeping fewer manageable animals to evade loss when calamities strike,” he added.
Depletion of pastures and drying of water sources has forced local pastoralists especially in Sericho where thousands of cattle recently died to ferry the weak animals to as far as Tana River where there are pastures in quest to prevent them from dying.
In most of the Arid and Semi-Arid counties, residents are trekking an average of between seven to 15 kilometres to access water.
Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo has declared drought a county disaster and appealed for intensified and concerted efforts in mitigating the effects of the drought which is Kenya’s worst in several decades.
Isiolo Bishop Anthony Ireri Mukobo asked residents to show compassion to the needy by sharing the little they have with those who do not have.
“Let us be our brothers’ keepers by sharing with the needy within our neighborhood,” the cleric appealed.
CRS is also providing monthly cash transfers worth Sh6,000 to 1,500 vulnerable families in Garbatulla, Sericho, Ngaremara, Chari, Oldonyiro and Cherab wards. BY DAILY NATION