By Henry Owino
Kajiado County, Kenya: The ravaging effects of the current drought have made herds of livestock come to their knees literally in Kajiado County. The community is worse hit by these effects as there is no pasture, water for the animals, and food for families. It is famine and hunger that calls for urgent humanitarian aid.
The prolonged dry spell which began back in August this year has left hundreds of livestock emaciated, some too weak to stand on their four feet, while others just die. The seasonal rivers have dried up and the greens disappeared into the dusty wilderness. Women are unable to feed families.
The community whose livestock is their main source of livelihood is unlucky people. Cattle are now dying in thousands as communities watch helplessly thereby threatening their existence.
Many herders are selling the livestock at a throwaway price because greens are long gone leaving only shrubs and desiccated trees covered in dust, while most rivers dried up.
Worse still, is the scorching sun which continues to poke holes in the herders’ pockets in terms of trade which has increasingly become unfavorable for the livestock keepers. Most markets are currently flooded with goats, sheep, and cattle thus lowering the prices of livestock. Many herders sell to keep them from dying.
Typically, October to December marks the beginning of short rains in Kajiado County and its environs, marking a recovery period for depleted pasture and water sources but again the rains failed shortly this season. Culturally, the Maasai community depends heavily on livestock but as their herds are weakened the community is threatened.
John Kisimil says the effect of drought which hit them, especially cattle is a story to tell in the future. Goats at least are withstanding by eating shrubs even if there is no water but cows are dying per hour, day and night.
“Livestock is our main source of livelihood and if they all die, we shall also just die because there is no hope at this rate. Government should intervene and assist us otherwise this is a big loss in our investment,” Kisimil pleaded.
The drought has also escalated human-wildlife conflicts. Most livestock has become weak yet wildlife especially leopards, and hyenas invade livestock at home at night consequently leading to retaliation by herders.
In certain parts of Kajiado County, climate crises and conflicts are adversely affecting mobility. When moving with animals in search of pasture and water weak that are stacked on the way and left behind are killed and eaten by the wildlife.
While stronger ones may walk but very slowly forcing herders to spend hours or sometimes days to reach the water point.
Joseph Samperu, a resident of Endonyo Sidai, said that nowadays there is a little bit of relief for herders following the construction of a borehole in the area. He revealed since the commissioning of the borehole, herders no longer have to walk far in search of the precious commodity for their livestock.
“Locals have suffered for years. Imagine the whole community relying on water from seasonal rivers which dries up completely during the drought,” Samperu regretted.
He said during drought residents share a single river with wild animals. Yet at night, they attack livestock. Many people have lost their lives because of human-wildlife conflicts in retaliation.
Samperu defended low grades performance by the pupils attributing it to poor school attendance and lack of concentration on their learning. He disclosed that children are forced to walk for miles in search of drinking water before going to school in the morning.
Some children drop out of school to become herders during drought as their parents can’t withstand the heat from the scorching sun in the herding field. The Maasai also value livestock more than the education of their children hence poor education in the community.
Eunice Naserian, said women are severely affected by the drought as they have to look for food, firewood, feed, and care for a family. The milk production they depend on is no longer available due to the depletion of vegetation and lack of water for cattle, so available milk is left for calves.
Naserian regrets that women take a lot of time to look for water thus denying them the opportunity to concentrate on economic activities to improve their lives.
Currently, in most parts of the country, there is severe drought and pastoralist communities especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya are facing it hard. Approximately 4 million people countrywide are facing severe food crises as a result of prolonged drought and are in need of aid.
The majority of pastoralists admit that there are negative impacts of climate change on cattle production. They pointed out that a severe persistent drought period resulted in a shortage of forage and water, leading to cattle starvation and malnutrition.
Uncertainty of weather patterns has really exposed livestock farmers to severe drought. Many are losing livestock worth millions of Kenya’s money as a result of the depletion of vegetation, and lack of water. Families face food insecurity, environmental degradation, and wildlife conflict due to competition for scarce resources.
“As pastoralists, we are always aware of the general climate trends in our location, its variability, and the impacts of extreme weather events on cattle production. This time around, we have been caught unaware since between September and December there are always short rains, but look it is high temperature and a prolonged period of drought,” Simon Kasino revealed.
“Population pressure and tree cutting are the major causes of climate change that is affecting our environment. The government used to urge people to plant two trees for each cut but nowadays people don’t care hence the consequences,” Kasino lamented.
Martin Moshisho Deputy Governor, Kajiado County promises to work with National Government under the Department of Drought Preparedness Agency to assist livestock keepers to get water and where necessary provide relief food and also buy some of the animals to cushion the farmers from losses.
Moshisho is concerned with the range of negative impacts of current climate change and extreme weather events on cattle production. He, therefore, stated the implications of climate change must be considered to ensure the longer-term survival and sustainability of pastoralist communities through the strengthening of climate risk awareness programs and early warning systems across the counties.
Further, national and county governments should come up with alternative support mechanisms for pastoralists in order to help them deal with the negative impacts of climate change on livestock production.
