Mothers, babies battle starvation as Turkana drought crisis worsens

The 12-month-old girl looks fragile in her mother’s arms. Dehydrated and visibly weak, her health continues to deteriorate.

She has just been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and is too weak to crawl, walk, or play like other children her age.

Clutching her mother tightly, she cries a cry of hunger. She has not eaten for more than 24 hours.

Her mother, Iperi Nangordengo, tries to soothe her, but nothing calms the restless child.

Nangordengo is among hundreds of desperate families gathered at an integrated nutritional outreach in Lomil, Loima Sub County, Turkana County, where the Kenya Red Cross Society is distributing nutritional supplements to drought-stricken residents.

The mother waits patiently for her turn, hoping the supplements will restore her baby’s strength, perhaps the only meal standing between her child and worsening illness.

In a small turn of fortune, the baby brightens visibly as she receives her share of the nutritional supplement. Her mood lifts instantly, a small but powerful sign of relief from gnawing hunger. “We have not had any food for the past two days. I have nothing left to feed my baby,” says the 41-year-old mother, in despair.

“There is no food, no water at home. I used to depend on selling charcoal, but since the drought hit this area, I spend most of my time searching for water instead,” she adds

The prolonged drought has wiped out her livestock, once her family’s main source of livelihood, pushing her into abject poverty. “It is only God who knows if we will survive today. The hunger is too much,” she says.

Malnourished and anaemic

Loice Etiir, who is eight months pregnant, can barely make a move. Despite her delivery date approaching, she is weak and lacks the energy to go about her normal chores. She is malnourished and suffers from anaemia, putting her unborn child and her own life at risk. Anaemia increases the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal deaths during childbirth.

Etiir has lost several goats to the drought and now survives on whatever little she can find. Charcoal burning, her former source of income, has become nearly impossible.

“Burning charcoal is tedious work. I usually cut and collect vegetation and uproot trees, but with this pregnancy, I can barely do the work,” she says.

She adds, “Trekking long distances in search of water with this pregnancy is exhausting. I easily get tired.”

Her husband cannot meet the family’s needs as he depends on livestock for income, but most of their stock has been wiped out by the severe drought.

Without livestock, food, or a steady income, the mother struggles daily to feed her five other children while preparing for another. Despite attending clinic visits regularly, she remains nutritionally vulnerable and relies heavily on humanitarian support. “We are only depending on well-wishers for survival. I am left with only five goats, which I cannot sell they have no market and are also too weak and dying,” says Etiir.

For mothers like her, the drought has not only destroyed livelihoods but also heightened health risks for both mothers and unborn children, with malnutrition steadily rising across affected communities.g.

Loima is the most affected county, with alarming malnutrition rates at 54 per cent, the highest in the country, far above the global average of below 15 per cent.

An integrated nutritional outreach in Lomil, Loima Sub County, organised by the Kenya Red Cross Society, revealed an increasing number of families suffering from hunger since the drought began in July last year.

The society distributed nutritional supplements, including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUFT) and Super Cereal Plus (CSB++), targeting children aged six to 59 months, pregnant women, the elderly, and lactating mothers.

The supplements are intended as food relief for households, not just the clustered beneficiaries.

At the distribution site, some middle-aged men were spotted consuming RUFT, explaining to The Standard that it served as a meal rather than a prescribed malnutrition dose. Some children were seen picking food remnants off the ground, underscoring the dire need for food.

At home, families prepare the supplement like porridge, “saving families from hunger,” according to The Standard’s observations.

Cases of malnutrition continue to grow, with officials and stakeholders fearing mortality, particularly among children aged six to 59 months, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly.

At least 87,249 children aged six to 59 months, and 35,844 pregnant women, are severely malnourished, well above global levels.

Loima Sub-County Nutrition Coordinator Fredrick Etiir warns that the drought is severe and could trigger disease outbreaks such as diarrhoea. Malnourished children risk stunted growth and impaired brain development. “We are at alert phase. The situation is worsening. Lactating mothers are unable to feed adequately due to food scarcity,” he says. “Soon, within a month, we may be in an emergency. Pregnant women and under-fives are most affected.”

Disease outbreaks feared

Turkana County Nutrition Director Saada Loyoko adds that malnutrition is not being treated due to a lack of nutrition commodities. “Women are reluctant to attend hospitals and outreaches without treatment available. Unreported deaths may occur,” she warns. Previously, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) provided nutritional support, but this ceased following the U.S. government’s stop-work order.

The US had allocated Sh1.2 billion for nutrition commodities, but the county currently has only Sh38 million available, a “drop in the ocean,” according to Loyoko. Without urgent intervention, mortality rates could rise. Compared with the 2022/23 drought, where three to four children under five were lost, current mass screening suggests the situation is far worse.

Chief Officer County Services Agnes Maana notes that more malnutrition cases are likely due to a lack of water. Livestock deaths along the borders of Sudan and Uganda exacerbate the crisis. “If animals are dying, what about children?” she asks. Previously, commodities were provided for severely malnourished children, but the U.S. Stop Work order has disrupted supply, heightening mortality risks.

Oscar Okumu, Kenya Red Cross Head of the seven North Rift counties, describes the situation in Loima as dire. The organisation is responding by supporting pregnant and lactating mothers, the elderly, and children aged six to 59 months, providing nutritional support to prevent moderate malnutrition from worsening. They also provide cash assistance and school feeding programs, which boost nutrition while keeping learners in school.

“Cash transfer programmes and uji mix to sustain children in schools have been successful. Most learners attend because they know they will receive meals,” says Okumu. Since the drought began, the Kenya Red Cross has assisted at least 180,790 people nationwide. Other hard-hit counties include Isiolo, Mandera, Wajir, Samburu, Garissa, and Marsabit. Data indicates that eight out of 10 residents in Turkana are affected.

Deserted manyattas

The drought, which began around August last year, has severely hit pastoral communities, wiping out pasture, drying water sources, and weakening livestock, the backbone of the local economy.

Residents of villages in the sub-county are migrating to Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan in search of pasture and water. In Nakitokirion village, manyattas lie deserted as families move with their livestock.

Robert Epur Ikoel, Chief of Lomeyen Location in Turkwel Division, reports livestock deaths due to harsh conditions, warning that the situation could worsen by March without intervention.

Eight villages are affected in Lomeyen: Lomil, Akatorongot, Nalukowoi, Lokipaka, Ngipeikaal, Abulon, Etete, and Keenyangaluk. “Animals are dying, a blow to communities relying heavily on livestock,” he says.

Turkana County Commissioner Julius Kavita describes a dire water shortage, with boreholes, dams, and seasonal rivers drying up. “Most seasonal rivers are now just sand beds. In some places, people must dig shallow wells to access water,” he says.

Pastoralists have migrated to Uganda’s Orum area, where dams provide water and pasture, under agreements with local communities, including the Karamojong, to allow temporary grazing access.

However, movement towards Nyandapal and Mogila is hindered by political instability in South Sudan. Kobebe Dam in Uganda also serves livestock from Kenya and Uganda during this difficult period.