Locals fear for their children as severe drought ravages northeastern Kenya

Kenyans in drought-stricken northeastern regions fear their children could be the next victims as prolonged dry conditions wipe out livestock and livelihoods.

In Mandera County, along Kenya's borders with Ethiopia and Somalia, villagers have been forced to drag dead animals away from their homes for burning, in a desperate attempt to keep away scavenging hyenas and the stench of decay.

The county has not received rain since May 2025 and is now edging closer to a full-blown drought emergency.

"I have lost all my cows and goats and burned them here," said 60-year-old Bishar Maalim Mohammed, a resident of Tawakal village.

Most families in the area are pastoralists who depend almost entirely on their livestock. In Tawakal, only one bull remains, too weak to stand after days without water, as its owner watches helplessly.

In the nearby town of Banissa, a man-made water pan that once held 60,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up, leaving a dusty basin where children now play.

Herds of goats, cattle, and camels are being forced to trek up to 30 kilometers to the nearest functioning watering point, where officials have begun rationing the dwindling supply.

"In two weeks, this water will be finished. We are in a very bad state," said Banissa resident Aden Hussein.

Across Kenya, more than two million people in 23 counties are facing worsening food insecurity after the October to December short rains failed, with rainfall measuring nearly two-thirds below average.

The National Drought Management Authority has placed nine counties on alert, while Mandera is currently at the "alarm" phase, one step short of a national emergency.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, estimates that between 20 and 25 million people across Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia are now in need of humanitarian food assistance, with more than half affected by drought.

"Our children are the next ones who are going to die," Mohammed said quietly in Tawakal.

At Banissa's main hospital, a growing influx of severely malnourished children, some crossing in from Ethiopia, has overwhelmed the pediatric ward.

During a recent visit, AFP observed eight children being treated for severe malnutrition, including a nearly three-year-old girl weighing just 4.5 kilograms. Another child had been readmitted after returning to a household with no food.

"Children are not getting an adequate diet because of this drought," said hospital nutritionist Khalid Ahmed Wethow. 

"Families depend on camel and goat milk, but there is no milk anymore," she added. 

The hospital, which serves around 200,000 people, has only eight tins of therapeutic milk left in its pediatric unit, supplies expected to run out within days. Donations from organizations such as the World Food Programme have not arrived in over six months, amid global aid budget cuts.

Although the Kenyan government and humanitarian groups, including the Red Cross, have increased water trucking, food aid, and cash assistance, they admit the response is struggling to keep pace with growing needs.