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  • Publication | 2022

Kenya: Impact of drought: Turkana and Marsabit counties

Global Food and Nutrition Security

In September 2021, the Kenyan President declared drought as a national disaster. As at July, the drought had affected 23 arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties (nearly 89% of Kenya’s landmass) out of the total 47 counties in the country (Business Daily 08/09/2022; KFSSG 01/09/2022; State Department for ASALs accessed 02/12/2022). These ASALs are prone to dry conditions and have recorded, prior to the current one, two severe droughts in the past 12 years: from 2010– 2011 and from 2016–2017. Compared to the previous droughts, the current one (2020–2022) has been the most severe and has lasted the longest, spanning four consecutive belowaverage rainy seasons (OCHA 21/09/2022). 4.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity at Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse food insecurity levels in these 23 counties between October–December 2022 (IPC 28/09/2022).