Find solution to yearly drought problem

The current drought and resulting starvation that has hit parts of the country will lead to the loss of thousands of lives if it is not properly and promptly mitigated.

It breaks my heart whenever I see gut-wrenching images of people and animals struggling to survive after spending months without food or water.

Those who have never spent a day without a meal might not understand what it means to go hungry.

Whenever hunger strikes, children and women are the most affected. They have to trek miles in search of food and water.

Sometimes, the journey gets tough and some unfortunately they lose the battle along the way.

Watching people from Turkana, Samburu and other drought-hit regions struggle to find even a drop of water from already-dry swamps and rivers makes me shudder at the thought that it could persist for the next few months.

The little water they get is not fit for human or animal consumption.

Remember, death by starvation is slow.

School children are no longer in school just because they have to join the rest of the family in the search for water and food.

Theirs is a story of broken hopes and shattered dreams. Their lives literally depend on the muddy water and wild fruits that are a struggle to find.

The Government has said it has already spent more than Sh800 million on supplying relief food to deserving Kenyans.

The truth of the matter is there is still a lot to be done.

Many more people are under threat of hunger and innocent children are still dying.

There must be a permanent solution to this challenge