In pictures: Kenya drought

Abdisemet Osman works for Oxfam in Wajir and was born and raised in the region: "The situation here is already very serious but it is getting even worse. Many areas have seen the rains fail completely, and people have taken their camels and cattle and crossed into Ethiopia and Somalia in search of pasture. But even there the situation is difficult. Oxfam and our partners are providing water, sanitation and food to the communities that are most affected. We have started trucking in water, which is a last resort – we only do that when things get extremely bad and there is no other water source."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Oxfam is trucking in water supplies to communities in Wajir. Rashid Aran Omer (right) is one of many locals who camped out overnight at this water station to wait for a delivery: "This is our only source of water now. One family walked for four days to get here. We have not had any rains at all this year, and our cattle are getting weaker. Fortunately not many have died so far, but the situation is getting worse and it is only a matter of time. Our animals are how we make our living – without them we do not have money to buy food or milk for our children."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Mohamed Nour Ali has lived in Wajir all his life and has seen the seasons and climate here gradually change. "I was born in 1931 and the rains used to be very reliable, twice a year. Every April 15th and October 15th the roads would be closed because we knew the rains were on their way. But now nobody can predict it and we haven’t had a drop of rain for nearly a year. Climate change is caused by man’s actions around the world, but we are feeling the impact. When I was younger, every decade would have one year of bad rains, but the rest would be ok. Now the rains fail every two or three years. There is much less time for families to recover in between the droughts and it is getting harder to survive."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Ibrahim Adan (right) is a health worker and father of five in Al Das village: "I own 20 cattle, but there is no water for them here so my brother has taken them to Ethiopia to try and find pasture – but I don’t know if he will succeed. Some of the men and I have started a vegetable garden to try and find an alternative way of earning money – we grow tomatoes, onions, kale and sweet potatoes. We don’t want to have to rely on relief food. Before the drought we grew lots, but the vegetables need water to grow and there are not enough boreholes here. Without water we have nothing. The drought is getting more frequent – in the past ten years, five have given bad rains."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Salada Alasow is looking after six children – her own and others belonging to men who have taken their cattle over the border to Somalia in the search for water. "Without our animals, there is no milk for our children and we can’t afford good food for them. Many are experiencing diarrhoea and are getting sick. With so little water, they cannot even wash their hands before they eat. The food prices in the markets keep going up – the price of sugar and maize has doubled in the past few months. A bottle of milk has risen from 25 shillings to nearly 100 shillings. If the drought continues, we cannot afford to keep our children healthy."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Abdiya Mohammed left her home village with her family after the rains failed. "Many of the men have taken our camels to Somalia because the situation is so desperate here. We came here three days ago to get water, but we haven’t been able to get any yet. The children are sick and suffering, and we don’t have enough water for them. This is my youngest daughter, Katra. She’s just four months old and needs water."

Photo: Alun McDonald

When the rains failed in northern Wajir, Mahat Ali brought his family south to the village of Konton on the Somali border, where he heard water was available: "It took 15 days for my wife and my six children to get here. Back home there is nothing left – no water, no pasture, it’s complete drought. I came here because I heard it rained recently – but when we arrived I found many other people had the same idea. There is some water here but now so many people have arrived. The water points are too congested, and I still haven’t been able to get water for my children or my camel. I don’t know where else I can go next."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Hussein Mohamed Adam lives in the village of Konton, on the Somalia border. It’s one of the few parts of Wajir to have received rain recently, but with the rains failing everywhere else, Konton has problems of its own. "We had rain two months ago, and since then there has been a massive influx of people. Everyone has come here in search of water and pasture – we did have some but not enough for all these people who need it and the borehole here cannot cope. Every day more people come here, but there is just not enough water to go round. In terms of scarcity of water, this is the worst I can remember. This is the first time we have been worried here that people will die because of a lack of water."

Photo: Alun McDonald

Abdir Mohammed has brought his animals to the Konton borehole. "This is the only place to find water to keep my cattle alive and to take home to my family. But I’ve had to leave my children at home for five days and I don’t know how they are coping or whether they are eating properly. I’ve almost lost hope for my livestock – now I am just worried about my children and my family. I just hope I can get water here to take back to them. I have ten camels, three cows and 100 goats – they have gone days without any water. They have not died yet but they are on the verge."

Photo: Alun McDonald

In the wake of the drought, families have joined together and divided up vital tasks. Mahad Farah and his two daughters have come to this water point to try and collect water for nine families, while others look after cattle and children. "It’s taken us two days of waiting here just to get enough water to last all nine families for the next four days. People are already waiting back at home for these jerry cans. To carry it all home we need healthy animals, but our camel hasn’t drunk any water for days. We will have to come back very soon and I just hope there is some water left by then."

Photo: Alun McDonald