The government is adopting a multipronged approach to ensure that normalcy remains in Upper Eastern and other pastoralist areas in the wake of the ongoing drought, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.
Conducting a security assessment meeting in Isiolo, Murkomen said that the government had established security strategies to diffuse rising tensions in pastoralist areas as communities compete over scarce resources like water and pasture.
“The prolonged drought situation in pastoralist areas has heightened resource conflicts and cattle rustling,” he said, adding that the measures have been put in place to safeguard the gains made by the implementation of the Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU) and other security interventions.
“We are touring the region to assess the security situation and lay down strategies to ensure peace and normalcy is sustained even as the government deploys other measures to mitigate the impact of the drought,” he pointed out.
At the same time, Murkomen convened a meeting of leaders, NGAOs and top security officials in Isiolo to assess the situation as his tour of the North Rift and Upper Eastern regions entered its third day.
“We resolved to immediately launch a security operation in Isiolo County and neighbouring Samburu and Laikipia,” he announced.
Last week, Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki assured Kenyans that the government has fully prepared to respond to the ongoing drought in the country, saying adequate measures have been put in place to mitigate the situation.
DP Prof. Kindiki, who is spearheading a high-level team comprising the Council of Governors and line cabinet secretaries and Permanent Secretaries, as well as the Chief Executive Officers, called for calm, saying the government was on top of things.
He revealed that Sh6 billion has already been allocated to support response measures, asking development partners to boost the efforts.
The Second in Command further assured Kenyans that the government has fully prepared to respond to the ongoing drought in the country, saying adequate measures have been put in place to mitigate the situation.
“The government has made arrangements to make sure that we provide enough food to all the affected people and also to save their livestock from demise because of the drought. There should be no panic in the country,” he said.
He made the remarks when he co-chaired the 14th Development Partners Forum at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi.
He called upon development partners to support the government’s efforts saying the government is doing everything possible to lessen the impact of the drought that has hit over 20 counties, most affected in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas.
“The Government is also committing 2 billion shillings every month and is asking for increased assistance from the development partners and other role players to ensure that the drought situation is comprehensively dealt with,” he stated.
He also said the government is assembling sufficient amounts of hay, vaccines and water to avert loss of livestock.
