This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Kenya is facing a triple threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods, and a desert locust infestation, which has put pressure on the country's resources and economy.
According to the 2020/21 budget, Kenya has allocated Ksh48 billion ($480 million) to the agriculture sector, with an additional Ksh4.3 billion ($43 million) from the World Bank set aside to combat the spread of the desert locust.
Ukur Yatani, Kenya's Treasury Cabinet Secretary, stated in an interview that the funds allocated would address the challenges posed by locusts and floods, saying, 'We have released a stimulus package to deal with the specific effects of the locusts and floods that devastated many counties.'
Hamadi Boga, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Crop Development and Agriculture Research, added that the fight against locusts received Ksh4.3 billion ($43 million) from the World Bank, with another Ksh1.5 billion ($15 million) from the e-subsidy.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that Turkana in northern Kenya is now the epicentre of desert locust control measures, with the highest number of hopper band sites reported.
Dr Tobias Takavarasha, FAO Representative to Kenya, emphasized the importance of intensifying control measures in Turkana to prevent the desert locusts from maturing and compounding the threat to Kenya's and East Africa's food security.
