Insurance only way to guard against weather-gone-awry phenomenon

President Uhuru issued payments to 2,500 households under the Kenya Livestock Insurance Program (KLIP). PHOTO:COURTESY

Somewhat lost in the politics of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to Lodwar last month was the official purpose of his visit: the issuance of livestock insurance payouts triggered by the country’s ongoing drought. That was a shame. We should be focusing our energies right now on alleviating the suffering of herders in Kenya’s arid north.

We already have a promising path forward to mitigate the crisis. That day in Lodwar, President Uhuru issued payments to 2,500 households under the Kenya Livestock Insurance Program (KLIP). Currently covering 14,000 households across the arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties of Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Tana River, Turkana and Wajir, this progressive Kenya Government insurance programme triggered a total of Sh215 million in payments to 12,604 recipient households.