Now Kenya faces economic crisis

2006-03-15 00:04

London - Even if northern Kenya's killer drought breaks in April when the rains are due, millions will need years of external help simply to survive, aid agency Oxfam said on Wednesday.

The drought has already killed thousands of livestock - the main livelihood and wealth of the pastoral population - and estimates suggest that more than 70% of the animals could perish before the April rains come, Oxfam said.

It said about 3.5 million people were affected by the drought - the eighth since 1975.

In many areas, two-thirds of people are dependent on food aid and local communities are in danger of economic collapse because the extended credit system by shopkeepers to help their customers through tough times is severely overstretched.

"During lean periods the shops would bail us out with credit. But now nearly all the shops have been run down by giving too much credit and not receiving any payment back," Mohamad Ali, a resident of Wajir in Kenya, said.

"I don't know how we'll get through this period. So many people are on the brink," he added.

Based on their experience of the 1992 drought, Wajir elders calculate that, in the absence of significant regeneration aid, it could take 15 years to rebuild shattered herds, Oxfam said.

"Pastoralism is a viable livelihood and makes an important contribution to the Kenyan economy. But there is an urgent need for improved development and economic policies in drought-affected areas," said Oxfam director Paul Smith-Lomas.

- Reuters