Kenya’s governors are raising fresh alarm over an impending drought that they warn could unleash devastating losses on communities already stretched by harsh weather patterns and dwindling resources. With the Meteorological Department cautioning that both the short and long rains will underperform, county chiefs now want a radical shift in preparedness starting with the creation of national grain, hay and livestock reserves.
The alarm was sounded in Naivasha during the 2025 Intergovernmental Agriculture Forum (IGAF), where leaders painted a grim picture of what lies ahead if urgent measures are not rolled out. Several parts of the country are already showing distress signals, and governors fear the situation could escalate into a full-blown humanitarian crisis.
Council of Governors chair Ahmed Abdullahi said the looming dry spell threatens to reverse hard-won gains made by pastoralists who had restocked after enjoying three consecutive good seasons.
“With reports of livestock already collapsing, the country cannot afford another cycle where drought wipes out entire herds and livelihoods,” Abdullahi warned, urging the government to establish long-term livestock feed banks and hay reserves.
Wajir Governor echoed the concerns but noted that the agriculture sector has been on a slow rebound. He pointed to subsidised fertiliser as one of the interventions that have driven production upward, but warned that gaps in financing, storage and post-harvest management continue to hold counties back.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe challenged counties to embrace technology and rethink soil health as land sizes shrink. He said the country is staring at a looming shortage of agricultural officers, with many set to retire in the next few years a gap that could further weaken extension services.
A recent assessment by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) captures the scale of the crisis already unfolding. As of September 2025, more than 1.8 million Kenyans including half a million children and thousands of pregnant women require urgent food assistance.
Nearly 180,000 people are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), a sharp 80 per cent jump from 2024. The hardest-hit counties include Baringo, Mandera, Marsabit and Turkana.
NDMA projects that the situation could deteriorate sharply between October 2025 and January 2026, potentially pushing 2.1 million Kenyans into crisis levels of hunger. Eleven ASAL counties could see worsening food insecurity, with Garissa, Wajir and Tana River expected to slide into more severe phases.
Malnutrition remains a growing concern. Between April 2025 and March 2026, over 741,000 children under five are expected to face acute malnutrition. Of these, nearly 180,000 may experience severe acute malnutrition, while more than half a million could require treatment for moderate acute malnutrition. An additional 109,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are also at risk.
Rising temperatures, shrinking water sources and diminishing pasture are intensifying tensions as communities travel farther in search of basic necessities. Seasonal rivers have dried up, water pans are emptying fast and queues at boreholes are stretching longer by the day.
“Livestock diseases, shrinking pastures and rising mortalities are eroding household incomes and pushing families deeper into crisis,” NDMA noted, warning that competition over scarce water is inflaming intercommunal tensions. Emergency measures such as borehole repairs and water trucking are underway, but the Authority says they remain far below what is needed.
As the country braces for harsher months ahead, governors insist that without immediate, strategic intervention, Kenya risks reliving the catastrophic drought cycles that have repeatedly crippled pastoral economies only this time, the impacts could be far worse.
