The communities of Maikona and Kargi in Marsabit County are set to benefit from a new round of drought preparedness measures following the activation of Phase 2 of the Anticipatory Action Plan by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) Kenya and its partner, PACIDA.
The initiative, implemented under the WHH Anticipatory Humanitarian Action Facility (WAHAFA) and in close coordination with the County Government of Marsabit, seeks to mitigate the adverse impacts of the predicted peak drought season.
An additional €260,000 has been released to support anticipatory actions, including cash assistance for 1,400 vulnerable households and livestock support through supplementary feeding targeting 1,800 households.
The interventions are aimed at safeguarding livelihoods and reducing the need for emergency responses once drought conditions intensify.
The decision to roll out Phase 2 was triggered by forecasts from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), which issued the Seasonal Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) for the October-November-December season.
With an SPI value below -0.98 and a probability exceeding 33 per cent, the forecast indicated a heightened risk of drought, prompting activation of the next phase under the established trigger mechanism also used by the Kenya Red Cross.
As part of this phase, WHH and PACIDA, with technical and logistical backing from the Marsabit County Government and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, will continue disseminating drought advisories to ensure communities are well-informed and prepared.
The initiative reinforces ongoing efforts to strengthen resilience and anticipatory humanitarian systems across Marsabit’s arid landscapes, enabling communities to act early and reduce losses associated with recurrent droughts.