Name: A crisis compounding: drought and dwindling aid in northern Kenya | DW News
Uploaded: 2026-03-30T17:01:15.000Z
Duration: 5 min 39 s
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Sofia Alouadan's first order of business is water.

Adverbs of degree

It is blisteringly hot, and the race to find even a drop is relentless.

This is life in Wajir, one of the most heat-stressed regions on Earth.

We've not had any rain, and we're facing a very severe drought.

It's now been almost 7 months since we last saw rainfall.

What little rain that came was not enough.

The pasture dried out, and Sofia's animals started to die.

Now, the mother of 7 is alone to care for her children as her husband searches for what the drought stripped away: grazing land.

My husband went with the remaining animals, but he would not have gone if things were okay.

Signs that things have not been okay are everywhere we look: dried water pans, holes dug into riverbeds by people searching deeper for water.

Scientists say this region, in the Horn of Africa, is drying out faster than at any point in the last 2,000 years.

The IPC, who measure and communicate food crises, report 3.3 million people in northern Kenya cannot reliably feed themselves—52% more than last year.

Some of Sofia's children are malnourished and are being supported by an NGO-funded nutrition program.

With her husband gone, the few remaining animals provide milk for the family.

But Sofia cannot be sure when her husband will return, so she prioritizes getting water.

With her children in tow, she begins a 20-minute walk to a nearby bohol.

Hidden under her scarf is a 30-day-old baby.

At the bohol, the clamor for water never lets up.

Only then are the large plastic containers filled for human use.

The last time there was any significant rainfall in this area was 2 years ago,

These cycles of floods into droughts have left this community unable to stay resilient, leaving most of them dependent on not very sustainable forms of water.

Deko, a resident here, tells me at least 100 families depend on this one bohol.

But this water is neither free nor reliable.

For the last maybe 2 to 3 years, it's not functioning.

Deko wants the government to do more for his community,

but the local administrator says government is doing enough and that more help should come from outside.

This reliance on external donors becomes apparent as residents approach us repeatedly, mistaking us for NGOs to ask if we've brought food.

Further north, Suleiman Sane is used to these questions.

He was born here, but the villagers know him as a Red Cross guy who brings food.

International aid to the region has dropped sharply after funding cuts by major donors.

Very few organizations are having programs that are supporting this emergency drought response.

As time moves and as time goes, you'll find that it's going to get worse and worse.

With now also the climate change is not getting better.

It's getting worse, and then the donor value is shrinking.

but the good thing is that the communities are now trying to adapt.

Training communities on how to change is part of Suleiman's job.

Some of the suggestions he makes today include storing hay for use during the rainy season, keeping fewer healthy animals,

Because of now the aspect of being predominantly Muslim area, that we leave everything to God,

and the rains will come, and when they come, we are better off.

So the aspect of preparedness is a challenge most times.

The government's answer to that challenge is a national drought management authority created for a single task: to end drought emergencies in Kenya.

In some areas, that work has already started.

We find emergency animal feed ready for distribution by the drought management authority to herders with absolutely no pasture.

Sofia is not part of the distribution list, but at least she now has water.

If God gives us rain tomorrow, then we'll be grateful.

Because if it rains, life would get better again.

For 13 euro cents, she's bought just enough for their daily use.

Without animals to sell, money is hard to come by,

and Sofia doesn't know how she'll buy more tomorrow.

But right now, she lets her youngest enjoy the first sips.