In the Marsabit area, the crash is visible everywhere. “The villages are littered with the carcasses of dead animals. They are so weak that they do not have the strength to reach the next well. They can’t stand it and just fall before they die, “said Philip Evoton Deutsche Welle.
The man is a project manager at the humanitarian organization Welthungerhilfe in a poor rural area in northern Kenya. In Marsabit alone, more than 180,000 people are in dire need of food. And the end of their suffering is not in sight: “If it doesn’t rain soon, the number of those in need will increase rapidly,” says Evoton.
Three rainy periods without rain
Many regions of Kenya often suffer from droughts. But the current drought is historic: the last three rainy seasons have passed either without a drop of rain or far below normal for the season. The earth is dry, the plant world is dying. In some areas, the yield of corn, which is the main food here, has dropped by 70 percent. And the invasion of locusts and the Kovid pandemic further aggravated the situation.
Last September, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought a national disaster, and the government pledged more than 15m euros in aid to the population.
“Our cattle are dying. People are starving. As a government, we must make sure that the country’s citizens do not suffer from hunger, “said Marsabit Governor Mohamed Ali at a humanitarian aid ceremony a few days ago. A number of international organizations such as Welthungerhilfe and the United Nations are also active in crisis areas.
“There are already people in my constituency collapsing from hunger,” said local MP Tura Elema. And the prospects are not good at all: “In recent years, the country has often suffered severe droughts. But because of climate change, it will become more frequent, spread and more frightening, “said Landry Ninteretse of the environmental organization 350Africa.org.
For people, this means that they can no longer lead a normal life. Therefore, experts and activists believe that urgent efforts are needed to adapt to the new conditions.
In an interview with the State Gazette, environmentalist Ninteretse called for long-term aid: to expand rainwater storage capacity, for intelligent irrigation systems, and to move to drought-resistant crops.
Who will pay the bill?
However, all this requires huge sums of money that the Kenyan government cannot afford. Conservationist Ninteretse knows who has to pay the bill: “Kenya is one of the African countries that has made little contribution to climate change, but is suffering the most from its effects.
“The international community and especially the leading industrialized countries must help the affected countries to adapt to the new conditions,” he said.
–
