The Government has flagged off relief food assistance and water trucking in Garissa County as part of a drought response scale-up aimed at protecting lives and livelihoods as drought conditions continue to worsen across Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
The 50-kg 4,480 bags of rice and beans were flagged off by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) Chief Executive Officer Col. (Rtd) Hared Adan, Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo and Garissa County CEC for Water Ahmed Ibrahim.
Speaking during the flag-off this morning outside the County Commissioner’s compound, Adan said that at least 2.1 million Kenyans in 23 ASAL counties are in dire need of relief food assistance and that the government would continue to monitor the situation and put in place response measures to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the people.
“The Government has activated drought response measures, focusing mainly on water access, food assistance, and protection of livelihoods. Over the past few months, NDMA, through the National Drought Emergency Fund, has supported drought response interventions valued at approximately Sh40 million across Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir, and Garissa counties,” Adan said.
“These interventions form part of a broader, coordinated national effort to stabilise conditions and prevent further deterioration. The measures complement cash transfers under the Hunger Safety Net Programme, alongside nutrition, health, and livelihood support being implemented in collaboration with county governments and partners,” he added.
The interventions include water trucking to drought hotspots to stabilise access for households, fuel subsidies and repair of water facilities to sustain overstretched boreholes, and provision of water storage tanks to improve storage capacity. We are currently procuring livestock feeds to protect core breeding herds in the most affected
Garissa County remains in the Alert drought phase 1, with poor and uneven recovery across much of the county. Between October 2025 and January 2026, the county received only 31.73 mm of rainfall, representing a 77 per cent deficit against the long-term average.
The inadequate rainfall has led to poor rangeland regeneration, depleted water pans, drying of shallow wells, and increasing pressure on a limited number of functional boreholes.
Average household water trekking distances have risen to 10.5 kilometres, with women and girls bearing a disproportionate burden. Several boreholes are operating continuously, placing significant mechanical strain on water infrastructure and increasing the risk of breakdown and prolonged downtimes if urgent support is not provided.
An estimated 185,400 people in Garissa County currently require humanitarian assistance through food or cash-based support.
Late last week, the government disbursed Sh870 million to 132,780 vulnerable households under the HSNP to cushion them from the dire impacts of the current drought.
The disbursement targeted households in Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir, Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo Garissa and Tana River counties.
By Erick Kyalo
