Torn Between Two Extremes
“We have been burying people [elderly men] who have committed suicide due to the current drought…they have lost hope with deaths of their sole livelihood [livestock],” lamented Mr. Kulei, a church elder at the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kajiado, Kenya.
“One of the deceased was not sick. He only looked at the carcasses and collapsed.”
The Maasai people (mainly pastoralists) have been on the move in search of pasture and grazing land for their livestock. “We have not received adequate rains for the last 4 years,” noted Kulei. “Our people [Maasai] have been out for long duration, covering thousands of kilometers to ensure the survival of livestock,” said Kulei. Villagers in Lodokelani, Orkekoyore, Eldamat, and Matopato have buried many people. One pastoralist formerly had a herd of 2,000 cattle, and now only has 10 remaining. “Livestock that succumb to drought are abandoned as the rest move in search for pasture.”
The current drought has caused the migration of Maasai pastoralists across the border to Tanzania in search of pasture and grazing land. Mr. David Kasino was once the proud owner of a hundred cattle worth USD 2,600. He now has less than 10 cattle and is still pessimistic of their survival because most are quite weak.
The Kenya Meteorological Department issued an alert on the impending El Niño rains and predicted the rains would last from the month of October 2009 until February 2010. For people in Kajiado and larger eastern parts of Kenya, that has yet to occur. It is an area that suffers from perennial drought due to climate change, which has resulted in crop failure. Many believe El Niño rains will be the only hope for thousands who live in despair each day as they come to terms with the deaths of their livestock (their only source of livelihood).
Women and children stay at home as their male counterparts’ criss-cross the country in search of pasture. With many of these journeys, it is sometimes more than three months before they return home. The absence of men in the villages compel women also to leave home and engage in small-micro enterprise activities in order to meet family food demands. “We travel long distances to sell charcoal… at times we don’t make any sell, so we all sleep hungry”-narrated Janet Rampei.
The Lutheran church runs a kindergarten that caters to 53 children left at home with no care giver. “We used to provide them with porridge and two meals, but now its difficult…we give them nothing, only teach,” lamented Sheila Rebesa, a volunteer at the nursery school. “Their concentration in class is low…some fall asleep due to hunger,” added Rebesa. With support from her husband Sheila is able to work at the kindergarten (without pay). “If the current drought continues…my husband may not be able to support me to continue working for free…I may leave and supplement his efforts.”
Women engage in difficult tasks, such as burning and selling charcoal. “We have no alternative apart from burning charcoal…though we know the environmental dangers,” said Janet Rampei. “If we do not do anything, our children will die from starvation.”
Children, some as young as 4 years old, travel 18 kilometers to attend classes at the Lutheran church. The church has been unable to provide food rations for the school, forcing the school staff to depend on well wishers and hand outs.
In the coastal areas and northeastern sectors of the country, the scenario is quite different. El Niño rains continue to cause havoc, with floods destroying the infrastructure and saturating prepared land. “It has been raining for the last 24 hours…Malindi-Garissa road has been swept off,” read a text message from a pastor in Tana River. In a telephone conversation with Peter Jilo, a government administrator stationed in Kulesa, Tana River, he related, “We need plastic sheets to cover leaking houses and chlorine for water treatment.”
Tana River at the coast has, traditionally, been a hot spot for flooding in Kenya as the River Tana overflows its banks. In 1998, 1,200 people lost their lives due to the El Niño event and the rains that pounded the area.
In Magarini District, along the coast, more than 500 families have been displaced due to heavy rains and flash floods. The rains have swept away houses and livestock, and flooded cultivated fields. The people of the Magarini District area are also worried about an increase in waterborne diseases, and are in desperate need of clean water.
ACT Kenya Forum members have been faced with the two extremes- parts of the country are facing severe drought and others are experiencing above-normal rains and flooding. The Forum partnered with UN-OCHA and the Government of Kenya to produce a community awareness brochure distributed to areas likely to be affected by the El Niño rains.
In March 2009, AKF members put out an appeal in response to the severe drought and famine that is currently affecting Kenya. However, the situation within the country has changed, and Kenya is now suffering from flooding as well. After a meeting on November 5th, forum members agreed that the heavy rains and flooding now occurring throughout the country also need to be addressed. The forum will meet again on November 19th to review assessment reports, and decide whether the members should submit an ACT Appeal to address the two extreme conditions - severe drought and flood - that are both currently affecting Kenya.
Article by George Arende, contribution from Nicole Stansifer
The ACT Kenya Forum (AKF) meets each month to give updates and discuss issues affecting Kenya. The current members of the AKF include: the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC), Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK), the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH), Dan Church Aid (DCA), Christian Aid (CAid), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and Church World Service (CWS).
