By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
2 December 2025 - Mandera County is grappling with a worsening drought crisis that has severely strained households, livestock, and essential services across all sub-counties. The situation has been made worse by the failure of three consecutive rainy seasons. The October–December 2024 rains, and both the March–May and October–December 2025 seasons leaving communities without adequate water and pasture.
Currently, 120,000 residents depend on water trucks, a number expected to surpass 250,000 residents by January 2026 . According to recent assessments conducted by the Department of Water Services in collaboration with NDMA and DRM units, more than 95% of surface water sources have completely dried up, forcing residents to rely on emergency measures.
Residents have been forced to travel as far as Tana River County, together with their livestock, in search of pasture and water. Also, temperatures in the county have risen to extreme levels, creating unbearable conditions not only for livestock but also for residents.
Mandera County Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif has issued a stern warning that the drought gripping the county has escalated to a crisis level. According to the Governor, communities are now dependent on overstretched boreholes, while water pans have dried up, leaving thousands of families in dire need of support. “This drought is going out of hand more so on emergency levels,” he said, Of the 232 boreholes across the county, 225 remain functional, but most of them require immediate repairs as rising demand causes frequent breakdowns.
Mandera County has 186 active water trucking sites, a figure expected to rise above 300 in the coming weeks to help deal with the current situation. The water trucking fleet has six hired and four government-owned bowsers that are already overwhelmed. There is also an additional 40 bowsers for domestic supply and 37 for livestock that are urgently required.
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Areas worst hit include Mandera North, Mandera West, Banisa, Lafey, Kutulo, Ashabito, Dandu, Kiliwehiri, and Mandera East, where communities previously relied on water pans that have now fully dried up. To ease pressure, Mandera Governor said that the county is initiating the drilling of 21 emergency boreholes and equipping nine that were earlier drilled but not operationalized.
Impact on Livelihoods and Food Security
The effects of the drought extend beyond water scarcity. Livestock, the backbone of the local economy have now to trek long distances in search of pasture, causing massive losses in productivity.
The county boss said the 2025 Long Rain Assessment indicates that Mandera remains in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), with at least 335,000 residents in need of humanitarian assistance. “Without immediate support, vulnerable families risk sliding into life-threatening conditions,” he added. The county estimates a Ksh 1.07 billion funding gap in the water sector alone between December 2025 and March 2026. The overall multi-sector response budget is Ksh 4.7 billion.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif has appealed to the National Government and development partners to urgently scale up support as the county faces a worsening drought crisis. “We are doing everything within our capacity, but this drought demands national and global assistance,” Governor Khalif said. “We call on the National Government, NGOs, humanitarian agencies, development partners, and the private sector to scale up support to protect lives and livelihoods.”
The Governor urged residents to remain calm, use resources responsibly, and continue supporting each other. “We remain fully committed to saving lives and building resilience. Together, we will overcome this challenge.” added the Governor
