This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
January 2, 2020 - Residents of Wajir County are taking desperate measures to deal with the locust invasion, as the government's intervention is awaited.
Locusts have invaded Wajir County, prompting residents to resort to desperate measures to scare them away. Police officers were seen firing bullets in the air to scare away the swarms of locusts.
Locals were also captured on video shouting, clapping, whistling, and striking metal objects in a bid to scare the locusts away.
Meanwhile, in Mandera County, the government has deployed a helicopter to sprinkle insecticides in a bid to rid the area of the locusts.
The helicopter is expected to arrive in Wajir next week, with the most affected areas being Griftu, Gurar, and Tarbaj.
According to officials in Wajir, the locusts moved around for close to two hours before settling 8 to 10 kilometers away from Kutulo town.
On December 18, the Food and Agriculture Organisation had warned that locusts would invade countries within the Horn of Africa, cautioning that the situation could worsen if not controlled by national authorities.
