In the Lerata community of Samburu County, Kenya, the 2020-2022 drought caused by the La Niña had a devastating impact. Maritina Lenanyangerra’s story highlights the effects on the community and their livestock, a large part of which has been lost. VSF-Suisse’s DR-SRM Project trained the community and provided tools and equipment to help them avoid facing the same challenges again.
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR, September 2024); in the Region Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, the 2020-2022 La Niña event was the most severe in 70 years due to its high intensity as a result of four consecutive failed rainfall seasons. Northern Kenya indeed experienced food and nutrition crises due to severe drought exacerbated by climate change.
Maritina Lenanyangerra’s story
Maritina Lenanyangerra, aged 45 years, is a resident of Lerata village in Samburu County. She is married and has eight children. She reflected on the challenges the community faced during the 2020-2022 severe drought: “This was one of the worst droughts. Out of panic, our herders migrated with our livestock to the neighbouring Laikipia County to access water and pasture. Unfortunately, the residents of Laikipia County needed the scarce resources themselves. Some of our herders were arrested, taken to Nyahururu town, and fined in court for encroaching on private land. Most of our livestock died in Laikipia. They were too weak to trek back, and some were on the loose after the arrest, as there was nobody to take care of them. We were forced to sell the few goats we had to pay for the fine”. She further mentioned that her household had 98 cattle by then that had migrated to Laikipia. “In fact, only 30 of my household cattle returned and most of them still succumbed due to lack of water and pasture, only remaining with 18”.
The DR-SRM project in Lerata
The DR-SRM Project, funded by the Biovision Foundation, helped identify, register and establish a 14-member (7 men and 7 women) Lerata rangelands resource management committee. Maritina Lenanyangerra is the Secretary of Lerata Grazing Committee. The grazing committee members were trained on numerous topics, including:
- Participatory Rangeland Management and governance
- Rehabilitation of degraded rangeland
- Alternative use of invasive plant species (management of Acacia reficiens for briquette making and Prosopis juliflora pods for milling livestock feed blocks)
- Group dynamics and business skills
- Peace-building
The project supported the grazing committee with assorted equipment and tools for support in integrated soil and water conservation as well as provision of drought-tolerant pasture seeds for reseeding degraded rangelands. Maritina Lenanyangerra said; “We took keen interest and put emphasis on the development of grazing plans, based on the lessons that we had learned on the loss of our livestock in Laikipia and implemented the practice. We didn’t want to fall back to these challenges again”.
Results from the intervention
Regarding the benefits realized from VSF-Suisse’s intervention in collaboration with the County Government, Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT) as well as the University of Nairobi, Mrs. Lenanyangerra is certain: “Thanks to the grazing plans we developed, our livestock have never migrated again to a neighbouring County. We have been able to sustain them on these 12 grazing blocks (1 block per month) reserved for both wet and dry season grazing and peace has prevailed. Our livestock are in good body condition, healthy and with increased milk production for household use. No livestock has since died because of drought and herd sizes have increased. I now own 30 cattle, 13 camels and over 300 sheep and goats. Other communities in the county visited Lerata to learn more about the management of rangelands.”
Regarding the milling and mixing of Prosopis juliflora pods flour with grass and leaves to produce animal feed, she added: “This feed is rich in proteins and energy, thus providing energy to our livestock during the drought period. All livestock seem to really like this feed!”
Some remaining challenges
“Our only challenge in rangeland management has been our neighbours who strive to access our preserved grazing blocks during the drought period without permission and wildlife, especially elephants from the neighbouring conservancies”. She concluded that the neighbours should also be made aware of sustainable pasture management and included in the planning so that there will continue to be productive grazing areas for all animals in the future.
Justus Namatsi
Project Officer
Kenya / Somalia