Marsabit County is described as a region synonymous with climate change owing to its recurrent droughts, floods, soil erosion, drying of water sources and the rising levels of Lake Turkana, resulting in the disruption of sources of livelihoods for the predominantly local pastoral communities.
The situation has, over time, made the majority of the residents vulnerable to food insecurity with high rates of malnutrition, almost becoming a permanent feature.
Livestock keeping and animal trade, the main economic activity and source of food for the local communities, has greatly suffered a blow owing to frequent droughts, which have killed their animals and destroyed pastureland.
Efforts to diversify by engaging in crop farming, where the county government of Marsabit and development partners provide free seeds for a variety of fast-growing crops like maize and beans, have not borne much fruit because the rain has become erratic with unpredictable weather patterns.
