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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2014key assets in pastoral areas\u2014lose condition. Recent assessments confirm the trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), about 2.2 million people were in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3+) in February\u2013March 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seasonal performance helps explain the slide. Kenya\u2019s October\u2013December 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kenya counts 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties\u2014nine 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cequally urgent and devastating\u201d alongside food gaps, and that delays risk \u201cirreversible suffering and loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kenya\u2019s 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\u2014especially for water\u2014could stabilize conditions before the next season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In sum, the council\u2019s appeal aligns with evidence from Kenya\u2019s 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\u2014paired with clear national leadership\u2014could prevent deeper losses and begin to restore resilience<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kenya"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n