Devastating drought in Kenya: Environmental impacts and responses

1. The recent drought, caused by the continuous failure of rainfall between October 1998 and May 2001, was so severe that the Government of Kenya declared it a national disaster on 13 June 2000. At the request of the Government, a joint UNEP and government team was form to: (a) Assess the impact of drought on the environment; (b) Identify factors contributing to the severity of the drought; (c) Recommend measures to mitigate the effects of the recent drought and minimise those of future ones. 2. The team held discussions with government officials, international organisations and non-government organisations at national level. It also visited fifteen districts (Baringo, Embu, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kwale, Machakos, Malindi, Meru South, Mombassa, Muran'a, Nairobi, Nyeri, Samburu, Turkana and Wajir) where discussions were held with district and divisional officials, the community as well as preventatives of non-governmental organisations at the local level. 3. The drought has undermined government and societal efforts to reduce poverty. The malnutrition rate increased in each of the drought-stricken districts. The Government, with the assistance of donors, provided food relief that helped to lessen the adverse impacts on nutrition and health in affected areas. The IMF has estimated that $480 million is needed to recover from the drought. 1. Impacts of drought on the environment 4. Kenya is prone to cyclic droughts with major ones occurring every decade, minor ones every three to four years and yearly droughts in parts of northern Kenya. The recent drought has been estimated as a 1 in 40 year event. Some impacts were short-term and were felt immediately, others were long-term and will be evident at the onset of the rains. From its assessment, the team identified the following impacts, based on a sectoral approach: . Water sector . In the sector, the direct impact was the shortage of water resources for all uses. This led to severe water rationing in urban areas and increased distances to water sources in rural areas. As a result, the cost of water increased in both