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Withered maize fields in West Pokot, where farmers are feeding the failed crop to livestock after prolonged drought. [Irissheel Shanzu, Standard]
Hundreds of pastoralists in West Pokot County have migrated to neighbouring Uganda in search of pasture and water following a prolonged drought that has devastated crops, depleted grazing fields and worsened food insecurity.
The migration has disrupted learning, with many children leaving school to accompany their families and livestock across the border. Local leaders now warn that unless urgent intervention is undertaken, the county could face a humanitarian crisis marked by hunger, malnutrition and livestock losses.
The drought has affected several parts of the county, with residents reporting that no meaningful rainfall has been received for the past four months. Crops planted during the last season have withered, leaving families without food or income.
