Drought stricken livestock dying in their hundreds

Herders at Ilbisel, Kajiado, put weak animals in a truck to move to different area in search of pasture and water. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Pastoralists at Marereni, Magarini Sub-county are counting losses after hundreds of their livestock starved to death. The pastoralists, who moved there from Tana River County three months ago want government to compensate them or reintroduce livestock off-take programme to cushion them from losses.

Osman Gobu said he moved with his employer’s 30 cattle, but lost 20. “We moved from Hola three months ago when pasture diminished. We settled at Kurawa, in Tana Delta for a month, but pasture there diminished and animals started dying,” he said.