The worsening drought in Kenya has become a full-scale humanitarian emergency, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims warned on Thursday. National Chairman Al-Hajj Hassan Ole Naado called for rapid state support to save lives and livelihoods, with a special focus on water delivery to hard-hit arid and semi-arid areas. The council framed the crisis as broader than agriculture, citing cascading impacts on health, education, and local economies.
Urgent call for national action
In a press statement, the council urged the Government to deploy water tankers and coordinate assets from the National Youth Service, the military, and the Ministry of Water. It also appealed directly to President William Ruto to declare a national emergency to unlock resources and speed up relief. The message, anchored in faith as Ramadan nears, asked public authorities and private donors to act together.
Hunger and water scarcity, tightly linked
The council linked rising hunger to a sharp shortage of safe water, noting families and livestock now face severe stress. This coupling is well known in drought emergencies: when surface water dries up, households spend more time and money to access distant sources, while animals—key assets in pastoral areas—lose condition. Recent assessments confirm the trend.
Data points from recent assessments
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), about 2.2 million people were in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3+) in February–March 2025, with projections of up to 2.8 million by mid-2025 if rains underperformed. IPC phases classify the severity of acute food insecurity from Minimal (1) to Famine (5). These figures signal a deteriorating path into late 2025 and early 2026.
Seasonal performance helps explain the slide. Kenya’s October–December 2024 short rains were below average in many eastern and southeastern areas, reversing gains seen earlier and tightening both food and water supplies. National climate reporting and early-warning analyses point to that below-normal OND season as a key stressor.
Why ASAL counties bear the brunt
Kenya counts 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties—nine arid and fourteen semi-arid. These areas host many pastoral and agro-pastoral communities that rely on seasonal rains for rangeland, crops, and shallow water sources. Government drought assessments and the National Drought Management Authority show the ASALs remain the most vulnerable, with sharp setbacks when short rains fail.
The latest outlooks in late 2025 flagged below-average short rains and hotter conditions in parts of the east and north, compounding water stress and keeping pockets of Crisis outcomes into early 2026. Field reporting and regional forecasts warned that needs could grow without a strong, coordinated response.
What the council wants done now
The council asked for immediate water trucking, swift repair of boreholes, and sustained food relief. It also pressed for close coordination across national and county governments, faith actors, and NGOs to reach remote settlements. The statement underscored that water access is “equally urgent and devastating” alongside food gaps, and that delays risk “irreversible suffering and loss.”
Context and next steps
Kenya’s humanitarian partners report funding constraints for nutrition and drought response at the end of 2025, even as needs persist in counties such as Turkana, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, and Marsabit. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and IPC updates highlight rising pressures when rains underperform and water sources fail. A timely national surge—especially for water—could stabilize conditions before the next season.
In sum, the council’s appeal aligns with evidence from Kenya’s drought monitors: below-par short rains in late 2024 strained food production and water availability, leaving ASAL communities exposed through 2025 and into 2026. A decisive, well-coordinated push on water and basic relief—paired with clear national leadership—could prevent deeper losses and begin to restore resilience
