The below normal rain in last year’s October-December season left at least 430,000 persons in Kitui county in dire need of relief food, a report shows.
The report released by Kitui County National Drought Management Authority coordinator Francis Koma on February 6 says 100,000 households in Kitui require relief food.
The report says Kitui farmers would harvest only 25,586 bags of maize as opposed to an average of 264,233 bags during a good season.
The cowpeas yield will be 68,878 bags.
Green gram yield is 76,262. Farmers in mixed farming and marginal mixed farming zones were adversely affected by the poor rains.
“The farmers face low or zero production, low purchasing power, high food prices and inflation while food stocks held by households would only last one month,” the report says.
“The worst hit areas are Endau/Malalani ward, parts of Tseikuru ward, parts of Mutha ward, Kanziko ward and Kanyongonyo and Zambia locations of Kanyangi ward and Kyuso ward.”
It indicates the onset of the rain delayed and came in the second to third week of November and ceased in the third week of December.
The report says parts of Kitui South, Kitui West, Mwingi North, Mwingi West and Mwingi Central received 76-90 per cent normal rainfall.