FAO warns of new locust invasion threat in Kenya

New swarms of locusts in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya are spreading further in the eastern Africa region, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.

According to FAO, the immature swarms are migrating southwards from breeding areas in eastern Ethiopia and central Somalia to southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya with reports that a few immature swarms had reached Mwanga district in northeast Tanzania on January 8, 2021.

“In Kenya, immature swarms continue to arrive and spread throughout the north. So far, swarms are present in four counties (Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit and, most recently, Isiolo). Breeding continues, and hopper bands are present in the southeast near Taita Taveta and along the coast,” FAO said.