By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
27 December 2025 - As most Kenyans are celebrating this year's holidays at home surrounded by family and loved ones, the situation in Mandera County paints a starkly different picture.
The drought situation continues to worsen as thousands of vulnerable residents of Mandera County continue to battle the effects of a prolonged drought crisis, now entering its most devastating phase.
Communities across the county are grappling with worsening food insecurity, rising malnutrition cases, and limited access to essential health services.
For families living in remote settlements, the struggle is compounded by vast distances to the nearest health facilities, poor road networks, and insufficient water supply, a daily hardship that persists even through the holiday season.
Despite these challenges, humanitarian responders remain on the frontlines.
Zeituna Ronoh, a Nutrition Officer at Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), said humanitarian teams will continue relief efforts across all corners of Mandera County to prevent the crisis from reaching dangerous levels for communities.
She emphasised that protecting human lives, safeguarding children’s nutrition, and supporting vulnerable families are not only urgent humanitarian priorities, but also a fulfillment of the Islamic values of mercy, charity, and communal responsibility.
Ronoh noted that these efforts aim to avert severe hunger and health risks, ensuring that assistance reaches those in need before the situation escalates into a deeper human crisis.
“That is why we remain on the ground — serving where the need is greatest,” added Ronoh.
Kenya Red Cross, in partnership with UNICEF, carried out an Integrated Medical Outreach at Adha Dimtu Village in Mandera West Sub-County, delivering lifesaving health and nutrition support directly to communities cut off from routine medical care.
The outreach offered a wide range of essential services, including general medical consultations for both children and adults.
Routine immunisation was provided to protect against preventable childhood diseases, and antenatal care (ANC) services for expectant mothers.
Other services included nutrition screening to assess malnutrition risks and health education to improve community awareness as nutrition specialists also screened children under five, a group identified as most at risk of acute malnutrition due to shrinking household food reserves and deteriorating water conditions.
Nutritional support for mothers helped combat maternal malnutrition: pregnant and breastfeeding mothers were provided with Corn-Soy Blend Plus Plus (CSB++), a high-nutrition supplementary food designed to support healthy pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early childhood development.
Residents in Adha Dimtu Village, particularly mothers, expressed relief, noting that the support would help sustain their families during a period when meals have become increasingly scarce.
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Reducing the 17 km healthcare burden
Residents of Adha Dimtu Village also reported that the outreach significantly eased the strain of seeking healthcare.
Prior to the intervention, families were forced to travel nearly 17 kilometres, often on foot under extreme heat, to reach the nearest health facility.
This journey not only delayed treatment but also increased health risks for pregnant women, sick children, and elderly patients.
“This outreach has lifted a heavy burden from us,” said Mohamed Hussein, adding, “We no longer had to make that long journey today.”
Along with medical care, the outreach also focused on safe drinking water, which is a serious concern during drought.
Unsafe water can quickly lead to disease, especially in villages far from clean water sources.
Public Health Officers showed families simple and effective ways to treat water at home.
The session included live demonstrations and guidance on purification steps and good hygiene habits.
Kenya Red Cross teams gave out PUR water treatment sachets to households.
These sachets help families clean unsafe water, making it safe to drink and reducing the risk of diseases such as stomach infections, cholera, and typhoid.
The drought situation in Mandera West and Mandera North continues to worsen, with conditions becoming more severe each day.
As water and food grow scarce, a new challenge has started to appear in some villages where there is now a serious human-wildlife conflict.
Wild animals, also struggling to survive the drought, are moving closer to villages in search of water and pasture. This has increased tension as both people and wildlife compete for the same limited resources.
