Agencies need to be better prepared for disasters

The current drought sweeping across the nation is a classic example of lessons we never learn as a country. Once again, the concerned State agencies failed to plan.

That climate change and its effect are with us is no longer news. This is a fact the Government has stated more than once on various platforms.

Considerable amount of resources have been channelled in the hope of reducing the adverse effects on humans and the environment in general.

To this end, food security has come out as a major concern.

Farmers across the country are being sensitised on new farming techniques that shift focus from conventional methods to crops that can withstand the challenges of climate change.

It therefore comes as a surprise to see human suffering of such magnitude in the current drought.

One thing for sure is that this drought has not come as an accident; it was expected, at least going by weather forecasts.

It is expected that the various agencies tasked with drought mitigation should have put in place plans and organised resources to address it.

Strategic grain reserves, run by the national cereals board, should have foreseen this and purchased enough grain on time.

Unless someone deliberately delayed action in order to take advantage of suffering Kenyans, then early preparations ought to have been done.

For instance, the Kenya Meat Commission should have begun buying cattle from pastoralists early to enable farmers to fetch better prices as opposed to now when the animals are emaciated.