The great trek for survival

By Boniface Ongeri and Adow Jubat

The searing heat is merciless, but Sofia Abdille and family have to move on. Nima Hassan, eight, wipes her sweaty brow with the back of her hand as she throws glances at her mother.

She has been riding atop a camel in the ambling caravan for eight hours.

But she is better off, as her two elder brothers, sister and mother have been trekking.

"We are barely quarter way to our destination," says Abdille.

Camels are the main mode of transport in northern Kenya. Photo: Boniface Ongeri/Standard

It is that season again in North Eastern Province when the age-old human and livestock migration takes place.

The region has not had good rains to spur vegetation growth and refill water sources. The deluge recorded last November briefly caused floods, but rising temperatures quickly evaporated the water.

There is acute water scarcity in the province. Temperatures oscillate between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius during the day and near freezing points at night. Midday is characterised by destructive gales, exacerbating the environmental hardships. The scorching sun and drought has turned the vegetation dry.

In the expansive semi-desert plains are the pastoralists who supply about 80 per cent of the beef consumed in the country. Since last April, desperate herdsmen have been staging a traditional ritual — a trek to seek water and pasture.

The trek may appear backward, but without it there won’t be steak in their neighbourhood butchery or nyama choma in the local pub. Over the years, the trek has been getting longer, as the distance between dwindling pasture and watering points widens.

For instance, Abdille’s family intends to cover some 200km from Modugashe in Garissa to Diif in Wajir District.

They will link up with other family members. Mr Abdi Hassan and a group of young men left two days earlier with the livestock. Abdille was left behind to tighten luggage straps on the camels.

The children are introduced early in life to the trek due to habitual weather vagaries. And so they trudge on, weighed down by kids and lambs tucked under their arms.

"At least this time round we are moving within the province. Hundreds have crossed to Somalia and Ethiopia in search of pasture and we may cross if the situation does not improve," remarks Abdille.

No one is ever sure when they will be back.

"It all depends on the rains and God’s will," she says.

Some have been forced back after losing all their livestock along the way. It is a cycle that a true herdsman has to contend with. She estimates the journey will take longer than a week. When a family moves, no one is left behind. However, in some cases, the sick are left behind with at least three lactating cows or camels to sustain them. The nomadic migration is a well-coordinated exercise.

Survey sites

"We don’t wake up one day and decide ‘today we are moving’, no," says Mr Nur Hassan, 88. "When the situation is grave, a group of young men called kurey is sent to survey possible grazing sites. Experience of studying distant clouds and scenting rains has been handed down generations."

The kurey are usually set off in pairs for the scouting mission that takes weeks. They look out for areas free of ticks, mosquitoes and tsetse flies. The entire group must return to compare the findings, sah’ mis.

Somali knives strapped on their waists, a herdsman’s stick and jerricans are the basic necessities for the kurey. A little bundle containing sugar, tea leaves and flour is an added advantage.

The older generation recalls carrying raw tobacco and soda ash.

"We used to smear ourselves with cow fat after a bath to symbolise devotion to our animals," says Abdi Mathowe, 70.

During the migration, the kurey lead the livestock and defend against intruders and predators. Herders move in a cluster of up to 20 families. In places such as Ijara District, where camels are rare, bulls and donkeys come in handy.

The portable Somali herio (daub huts) are loaded on the animals while small holders, guraa, are fastened to the caravan to carry children, lambs, kids and poultry. Breaks during the trek last less than 30 minutes for Muslim prayers and a quick meal.

It is not recommended to travel past 10pm. Women construct temporary shelters for the night while the kurey provide security. At the crack of dawn, they are set for the journey. Nomads avoid main roads because of disturbance. To ensure hygiene, particularly at water points, they pitch tent at least four kilometres away.