Over two million people in parts of Kenya are facing hunger as drought conditions persist, with cattle-reliant communities in the northeast being the hardest hit. The images of emaciated livestock have shocked many residents near the Somali border, a region heavily impacted by climate change.
Rainy seasons have become shorter, with limited rainfall leading to drought and severe livestock losses. This mirrors the situation between 2020 and 2023, when millions of animals died across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Although a famine was averted in Somalia during this period, the effects of failed wet seasons are now being felt across the Horn of Africa.
The situation is most dire in Kenya’s Mandera county, where critical water shortages have resulted in livestock deaths and malnourished children. Similar weather patterns and water shortages threaten Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Experts attribute these challenges to climate change, affecting rain-fed agriculture, a key economic driver in Africa.