Residents face hunger due to failed rains

Tharaka Nithi County residents are staring at drought and food insecurity following failed March-May rains.

Tharaka, Igambang’ombe and lower Maara residents who entirely rely on rain-fed agriculture for subsistence farming are counting losses after their maize, green grams, sorghum and millet prematurely dried on the farms.

County National Drought Management Authority official Hussein Idhoro told the Nation on Monday that by the end of July, the hunger situation will be bad because residents are not expecting any harvest.

He said the region experienced rainfall for about one week followed hot and dry weather that has completely dried crops.

“We are foreseeing an alarming situation by the end of July because for the last two rainy seasons, there has not been any harvest,” said Mr Idhoro.

He said permanent rivers have started drying up and the situation will worsen in the next four months. 

A farmer, Mr James Mutegi, from Kibung’a,  Tharaka South sub-county has lost all the crops on his 10-acre farm.

Mutegi, a youthful farmer told the Nation that he had spent Sh20,000 on preparing land, planting green grams and weeding.

He expected to earn at least Sh100,000 to pay school fees in a technical institution.

Mutegi’s neighbour, Mary Kagendo said she had lost crops due to drought for the last two seasons now, forcing her to transfer her two secondary school children from boarding school to day school due to lack of fees.

“The government should start giving us relief food because we have no hopes of harvesting anything due to lack of rains,” said Ms Kagendo.

Prices of maize and other foodstuff have gone up making it impossible for man locals to afford three meals in a day.

In Marimanti town in Tharaka constituency, a kilogram of maize is retailing at Sh80 up from Sh50 a month ago.