This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
January 14, 2020, marked a turning point in the battle against the desert locusts invasion in Kenya. With the pests spreading rapidly across 7 counties in Northern Kenya, pressure is mounting on the government to declare the situation a national disaster.
Mandera Governor Ali Roba has been at the forefront of the fight against the locusts, but he claims that the government's efforts to contain the pest are moving at a slow pace. 'The manual spraying in the county is moving at a very slow speed,' he said.
Roba believes that a multi-sectoral approach is needed to tackle the problem, but so far, the government's response has been inadequate. The situation is further complicated by the fact that a fresh swarm of locusts has been spotted in the area, coming from neighbouring Somalia.
The invasion has already ravaged parts of Mandera, Wajir, Isiolo, Meru, Laikipia, Samburu, and Marsabit counties, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced mitigation measures to contain the invasion, but it remains to be seen whether these efforts will be enough to stem the tide.
