Any visitor will soon hear the local catchphrase ‘Hakuna Matata’ (No problems here). But bishops, government and NGOs are highlighting a very big problem

Fredrick Nzwili in Nairobi

Catholic cathedrals in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, are thriving centres of religious beauty and faith. The East African metropolis has evolved as a melting pot of the religions with churches, temples or mosques standing near or next to one other.

Recently, skyscrapers have utterly changed the skyline of what was, over 100 years ago, a remote British railway port.  

Nairobi derives its name from the indigenous Maasai Enkare Nairobi, which means cool waters. Its national park is the world’s only game reserve within a major city.  

If you come here as a foreigner, you will soon hear “Jambo Bwana” (How are you?), “Hakuna Matata” (There are no problems here in Kenya).

But not far from the bustle, the Catholic bishops, government and non-government agencies, are highlighting a very big problem - a severe drought. Thousands are in urgent need of food relief after crops failed due to poor rains and extreme temperatures. Water sources and pastures have been depleted. The climate is changing.

“The dry farms are testimony to our attempt to feed ourselves. Some crops dried-up a long time ago, taking away our sweat. In the next few weeks, there will no pasture for the animals. Things have never been this severe,” said Bernard Maingi, a Catholic in Machakos Diocese.

The situation is so critical that President Uhuru Kenyatta - himself a catholic- declared the crisis a national disaster in mid-February. Over 2.7 million people are badly affected. The wildlife, - elephants, buffalos, giraffes, lions – is also suffering badly.

“Support from our partners would complement government efforts in mitigating the drought,” said Kenyatta on 10 Feb, in what was in the circumstances a somewhat restrained appeal.

Not long ago, the bishops had stressed the immense suffering, desperation and hopelessness. People needed to be assisted to reach the next harvest, still months away.

Bishop Philip Anyolo, the chairman of the Kenya Catholic Bishops’ Conference, appealed for international and local solidarity and support.

“We are appealing to all Christians and people of goodwill to join hands in solidarity with the Church by contributing funds, food and non-food items to save the lives of those affected,” said Anyolo.

Last month the Kenya Red Cross estimated about 2.7 million people were in need of food aid. Out of Kenya's 47 counties, 23 have been deemed to be facing disastrous drought. The little food there is is being shared with livestock.

“After giving our children what we can, we surrender a little maize to the livestock because we are scared that we will have nothing soon - each day, our animals die,” Ekai Emoit, a mother of five in Turkana County told The Standard newspaper.

The next rains are due in April. If they come.

About 300 kilometres north of Nairobi, a kind of “cowboy trek” is being created, to devastating effect. In Laikipia County, heavily armed Pokot and Samburu herders have invaded farms, ranches and conservancies in search of grass and water.

How they acquired the arms is a complex issue, but wildlife has been slaughtered and some residents have fled while others have been injured.

There is some semblance to the land invasions in the Zimbabwe of the 1990s. The ranches’ owners are white families of former British settlers and it is feared there is a move to drive them out. The storming of the 44,000-acre Suyian Ranch and burning of the lodge in January by about 10,000 herders seeking pasture for their 130,000 cattle serves as an example. The ranch owned by Gilfred Powys, has been the family’s property for over 100 years.

With the invasions, Kenya’s controversial land ownership question is stirring again. The herders believe this is their ancestral grazing land which the communities lost many years ago.

It’s not difficult to see that politicians have rallied the herders around the alleged historical injustices to attack the ranches. And they can easily lay the blame on the drought for what is happening.

The Government has sent a para-military force to protect the ranches, and there is a lull now, but as herders find their pastures remaining parched, that may not last long.


The bishops in this country continue to express a deep concern over the rising political temperatures ahead of general elections later this year.

Kenya is set to hold the national polls on 8 August, and they will be the sixth since the adoption a multi-party democracy in the 1990s.  But political incitement and hate speech on political podiums and the social media has been becoming more vitriolic with each passing day.

This has alarmed the bishops who recall how an election dispute ignited deadly election violence 10 years ago. That crisis, which started in December 2007 and lasted until February 2008, was triggered after former President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner and Raila Odinga, the main opposition leader, rejected the polls as rigged.

Before it stopped more that 1,000 people had been killed and nearly 650,000 were camps for internally displaced people.

Bishop Alfred Rotich, the chairman of the commission for ecumenism within the bishops’ conference, has warned that the chances of a repetition of the violence are high, unless urgent action is taken.

Recently, the bishops have reached out to the politicians on the government and the opposition sides, urging them all to prioritise peaceful elections.

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