Is Kenya incapable of mitigating against perennial food insecurities?

As arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties are hit hard by drought which according to the meteorological department is nothing compared to the predicament we will find ourselves in the first quarter of the year 2017 due to inadequate rains.

This has challenged the national government to spend USD 9 million for two seasons as insurance premiums for the same in ASAL counties.

Could this be the solution to this recurrent problem?

In a press statement by Council of Governors, ASAL counties will not reap from this huge investment by the Africa Union as Kenya is yet to meet the threshold required to qualify for the insurance payout. Apparently, our condition is not that bad yet as it can be salvaged.

 The council of Governors has therefore called upon the national government to suspend payment of any further premiums terming it as non-yielding resource allocation. They further insist that the national government should consult the governors before implementing any interventions on their behalf to ensure they are on a need basis.

The county heads have accused the national government of turning a blind eye to food insecurity and issuing short-term solutions as interventions to a reoccurring phenomenon. They have therefore taken it upon themselves to allocate funds in their budget to cater for food security and execution of emergency response mechanisms in their respective counties.

“We note that the National Government has allocated Ksh. 4.3B to national ministries for relief food, we ask that these funds be channeled to sustainable solutions like water tracking and water bowsers. The Council requests that much of this fund be used to build resilience to climate change. All we need are long-term solutions,” said Mandera Governor Ali Roba.

Counties should, however, be dissuaded from channeling funds into water pans every year. This is a temporary solution and an unworthy investment as they only hold water for a very short period of time.