As drought ravages lower Embu, leaders from Mbeere South have cited lack of water and food as the major challenges affecting students' performance in schools.
The leaders said that many children had dropped out of school for lack of food and water as some go for days without food in their homes.
Mbeere South MP Nebart Muriuki, who held a consultative meeting with education stakeholders, appealed to national and county governments to allocate more funds in the upcoming budgets to offer lasting solutions to the perennial food shortage.
"The rains have failed again and many farmers did not harvest any food for a third year in a row, making the situation dire," Mr Muriuki said.
Speaking at Mutu's Secondary School, Muriuki said many pupils could not study on an empty stomach, adding that the relief food provided was a drop in the ocean.
He said the consultative meeting had resolved to have high-yielding boreholes sunk, which will supply clustered schools with selected areas.
"I will be seeking permission to have NG-CDF Kitty purchase a water bowser to help supply water to schools, but if the county government can provide one, then we can engage in other services to alleviate the suffering related to water and food shortage," he said.
Mbeere South Deputy County Commissioner George Omollo said the government was doing all it could while mapping out the most affected areas and supplying available relief food.
"It is apparent that there is no food but let no one use it as an excuse to deny children education. I also appeal to those with food to share with others as the government embarks on intervention measures," Omollo said.
The MCAs present appealed to school heads to be patient as county bursaries would be released soon.
"It doesn't make sense to live without water when we host five Seven Forks Dams. The government should find a way of getting water to our people," said Ngari Mbaka Embu County Assembly Minority Leader.
The trend is the same in Mandera County where severe drought has seen pupils drop out of school to support their parents in the search for food, pasture, and water.
According to a survey conducted by Save The Children at the end of last year in North Eastern counties, Mandera has the highest number of school dropouts with 295,470 children, followed by Garissa at 289,410 and Wajir at 266,540.
While speaking at Moi Girls Secondary School during an inspection tour, Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif lamented how his administration had exhausted all avenues to supply water to schools.
"All sources of water in the county have dried up, including the only river Daua that supplied water in Mandera and Ethiopia over the years," he said.
He said three-quarters of 200 functional boreholes had saline water, which is unfit for both human and animal consumption.
He said the prevailing drought has increased groundwater levels leading to the boreholes to dry.
