Consultations are underway to declare drought a national disaster as conditions continue to worsen across the country’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
The deteriorating situation has been attributed to the poor performance of the October to December 2025 short rains season. Mandera County remains at the Alarm drought phase, while thirteen other ASAL counties are classified under the Normal drought phase. A further nine counties have deteriorated to the Alert phase.
The latest drought status was disclosed Monday during the opening of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), currently underway in Nairobi.
Speaking at the forum, Principal Secretary Dr. Engineer Festus Ngeno said the prevailing conditions point to increasing vulnerability among pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, warning that urgent mitigation and response measures are required to prevent further deterioration.
