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The government has dramatically contained the locust swarms that recently invaded the country in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic and the flood-related ravages.
Chief Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Hamadi Boga says that despite the two main challenges, reports have shown that the number of lobsters is shrinking and that at one point Samburu County had more than 400 swarms in its peak, but lately it reported less than three and six swarms. .
“This indicates that we are paving the curve and, together with the Food and Agriculture Authority (FAO), we are working on a strategy to involve local and international experts such as the Tegemeo Institute to assess the damage so far caused by locusts in the 27 Counties affected.
FAO, the World Bank and the counties, the PS says that they had mobilized adequate resources to fight pests and that until now there were at least 90,000 liters of pesticide that can effectively cover about 200,000 hectares, since half a liter was enough to spray one hectare.
Professor Boga, who spoke during a field visit to the desert locust in Isiolo last week, explained that so far the Government and other organizations under the strategy used to contain the locusts have mobilized Ksh2.4 billion, noting that the The government has contributed Ksh39 million, the African Development Bank (AfDB) Ksh 500 million and the World Bank Ksh1.4 billion.
The cash is being rolled out to finance the purchase of chemicals and to maintain six aircraft, vehicles and spray personnel, among other equipment used for it.
The partners, Professor Boga noted, have so far deployed six fumigation aircraft: two from the Kenya Army, three from FAO and one from the Desert Locust Control Organization (DLCO) to deal with counties where pests are highly concentrated, namely Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana. , Samburu and some places in Laikipia.
“We also face the challenge of the current climate as most areas are experiencing heavy rains, making it difficult to spray aircraft and ground equipment on and above the vast terrain,” he added.
Furthermore, Professor Hamadi stated that the activity also faces the challenge of late acquisition of the chemicals, as some countries like Japan, where the chemicals are obtained, also face the challenge of the spread of Covid-19.
Albert Lemasulani, a resident and community leader in Isiolo County, said the locusts have eaten their vegetation and hatching eggs, affecting their cattle and some dying herders and prompting them to migrate to other areas.
“There is also the possibility of a new generation of lobsters being produced if they are not contained in time as old lobsters have laid eggs.
The pests that Lemasulani said had consumed his crop leaving many farmers in misery, especially now that local livestock markets that could offer an alternative source of livelihood have closed due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Most of the farmers had lost their purchasing power and would soon be able to rely on government aid before regaining their base to fend for themselves.
Tiampati Leleti, a resident and village leader in Samburu County, also said that since March this year herders in the area had lost grass after invasive insects swept away all vegetation.
“We fear that if the locust invasion continues, we are likely to suffer irreparable losses economically and socially. Our cattle are emaciated and are stunted because they do not feed well due to the lack of sufficient pasture, “added Tiampati.
Isiolo County Governor Mohamed Kuti said that since December, when locusts were reported to be invading the region from Yemen through Ethiopia and Somalia, significant progress has been made.
He noted that the number of swarms that were initially witnessed in December and January has been substantially reduced.
“The fight against migratory plagues has created an opportunity for unemployed youth in the region. We have hired young people who are helping us track the whereabouts of the locust and thus allow us to actively combat pests, ”he said.
Governor Kuti further said that the technology, along with intensive surveillance, has served us well, as the young are now being trained and can transmit information to the control center located at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
FAO Assistant Representative (Programs) Hamisi Williams said that in order to keep the locust fight going, both on land and by aerial spraying, they had trained and deployed youth to track the location of the locusts.
He said the exercise also involved equipping two trained teachers in each county to impart the skills to new recruits to also train others in their localities.
“In Garissa county, 25 youth have been trained, 50 in Mandera, 90 in Isiolo to serve in Laikipia and Baringo counties, and another 75 youth are receiving training in Samburu county and more in Turkana,” he said.
The youths, Hamisi explained, were equipped with smartphones complete with an electronic lobster app and had established six operating bases at Kilimo House, Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Lodwar and Marsabit to coordinate the exercise.
He said the bases were the collection point for data collected from field operations before they were later shared with local and international recipients, including FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
FAO has established a locust control center at the Lewa Conservancy to transmit the data that is collected from locust infested areas and all ground teams have been trained to use the E-locust 3M application.
Heath McRae, a desert locust specialist in charge of the locust control center in Lewa, says they have been using an electronic lobster system to collect data from the ground team and transmit it to the aerial spraying team to find out the exact areas to the ones to target.
“It is an application easy to use. One is required to go to the 3M e-locust platform, login and provide information. Once it is time to send, that information is selected in 51D in Lewa and the same information is selected in the center information at Kilimo House, ”said McRae.
The technology FAO uses to track pests has seen them collaborate with an organization known as Plant Village and, together with the counties, involved 900 young people by providing motorcycles to help them identify and report on the whereabouts of the locusts.
Hamisi explained that the locust invasion is the worst the region has experienced in the past 70 years and initially said that when locusts were reported in the region, the national government and counties were not well prepared, leading to the spread of migratory pests.
Like FAO, Hamisi said they were in the process of adding more planes and also acquiring other sophisticated devices to help identify the lobster.
“Initially, spraying is taking place in all areas, but going forward the spraying will only take place where the swarms are located. In security-prone areas like Suguta and Baragoi, we are collaborating with local communities and security authorities to make the exercise fruitful, ”he said.
Hamisi said they expect lobster swarms to lessen in the next month and a half, a situation dictated by the winds. “The winds are currently blowing from the east and south, a situation that is likely to move swarms to neighboring countries like Sudan and Uganda.”
Tyson Lengoros, a young man from the plant village group, said: “I graduated from Mt. University of Kenya last December. Me and other youth were hired by FAO to help track lobsters. I have been facilitated to track lobsters through surveillance. We are enabled through motorcycles and we work from our own areas. Once we tracked the locust swarms, we reported to the Isiolo County Disaster Management Unit base. ”
Since the locust invasions in December last year, the government has been doing everything possible to ensure that desert locusts do not escalate to a plague level. The normal breeding season for desert locusts is January through March. FAO, together with the Kenyan government, has developed a six-month action plan, while monitoring the situation.
By Wangari Ndirangu
