A group of Senators from drought-affected regions on Wednesday, February 1, asked President William Ruto to change his economic policies.
The Senators asked the President to consider declaring the ongoing scourge of drought as a national disaster for the country to receive enough donations.
"Given the fact that Kenya was declared a middle-income country, donors and other non-state actors are not willing to respond to the drought crisis unless the Government declares the drought a national disaster," read the statement by the senators.
They further warned that the only way to abate the ongoing drought situation was to mobilise resources from foreign wealthy nations.
"We call on non-state actors and other well-wishers to come to the aid of these affected populations urgently as the severity of the drought has pushed the affected communities to the brink of famine and starvation," Senators urged the President.
They also lamented that President William Ruto insisted on keeping the pride of the nation yet the drought situation was getting worse by the day.
"Despite the severity of the drought in ASAL regions, the Government of Kenya has not declared the drought a national disaster.
"The effect of which has been that non-state actors have not mobilised resources to respond to the drought on a magnitude commensurate to the severity of the situation on the ground," read a statement by a section of Senators.
The Senators also demanded that the Kenya Kwanza Government emphasise saving the lives of Kenyans and animals that were adversely affected by the drought situation.
"In this regard, with immediate effect; declare the ongoing drought a national disaster in order for the right response to be prompted," the Senators urged the President.
The Parliamentarians also asked the government to immediately carry out an emergency assessment simultaneously in all affected counties in order to design practical and appropriate response strategies and plans to save the lives of the affected populations in ASAL regions.
They also asked the government to urgently supply relief food to affected populations in line with the UN standard portions per head per household.
National Drought Management Authority estimated that the number of Kenyans affected hit around six million by January 2023.
The drought is due to the failed fifth rainy season which has seen the situation remain critical in 20 of the 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties.
