Following yet another below-average long rain season between March and May 2021, food security in Kenya's arid and semi arid region is deteriorating quickly. Reports say 2 million people already are experiencing food insecurity and numbers are expected to continue rising.

Immediate action is required to prevent further deterioration of food security and nutrition.

The underperformance of the long rains means that pasture and browse conditions are below average for this time of year. The below-average conditions of pasture and browse have already affected the condition of livestock – and their condition is likely to worsen due to increasing distances to water and pasture and an anticipated increase in livestock diseases and livestock deaths. 

Distance to water sources has increased already to about 40 percent  further than the June average, the recharge of open water sources is already at 30-45 percent below average and the cost of water in the pastoral livelihood zones has increased by 40 percent according to the Joint statement by the ASAL Humanitarian Network. 

Tensions and conflict over limited access to resources are increasing as pastoralist communities are moving in search of water and pasture, both within the traditionally negotiated areas or outside of these locations.

The below-average rain season has come at a challenging time where farmers and agro-pastoral households are still recovering from the damage caused by the desert locust invasions, especially in northern pastoral areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation by restricting access to health and nutrition services, a slowdown in trade and losses of income and livelihoods due to measures put in place to control the spread of the virus. 

Between March and April 2021, Kenya came through a third wave, which was the fastest growing and the highest in number of people infected since the beginning of the pandemic. However, since the beginning of June, the COVID-19 positivity rates have started increasing again and a fourth wave of increased COVID infections is looming.

The locust, COVID-19 and drought crises come at a time when the East African country is grappling with a growing debt and fiscal crisis. 

(With input from agencies)