By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
December 12, 2025 - Mandera County on Friday marked Jamhuri Day with vibrant celebrations in Elwak, Mandera South, where leaders used the occasion to highlight the worsening drought affecting communities across the region.
Speaking during the event, Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif warned that the drought has reached an alarming stage and called for urgent intervention to prevent further losses. He noted that pastoralists have already lost camels, goats, sheep, and donkeys as water sources and pasture continue to diminish.
“We are planning to designate grazing zones to ensure efficient water trucking for livestock,” the governor said, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to support affected households.
To cushion vulnerable families and ease pressure on host communities, the governor announced that the county will immediately roll out food distribution and water trucking services to drought-hit areas.
Area MCAs, led by Guticha Ward Representative Mohamed Shukri, urged the county executive to bring a supplementary budget that will boost interventions in the sub-counties hardest hit by drought, where water shortages and pasture depletion have been reported.
According to the MCAs, the county is currently facing an alarm-stage drought, with water sources drying up and families increasingly dependent on emergency assistance.
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“We cannot sit and watch our people suffer. This supplementary budget is designed to provide immediate relief and ensure essential services reach the most affected villages,” said Dandu MCA Ali Wario.
The MCAs expressed confidence that the additional funding will help stabilize the situation as the county awaits potential long rains and further support from the national government and humanitarian partners.
Mandera County Commissioner James Chacha also assured residents that the national government will step up mitigation measures to cushion the county from the severe effects of the ongoing drought.
He further urged residents who fled in search of pasture to return home once the rains come and the drought eases, to avoid future conflicts over settlement.
