The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that global warming, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, is leading to more extreme weather events and African nations are among those that will face heightened food and water insecurity. At least 16 million people are already at risk across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, according to the United Nations, and the threat of famine is clearly evident. While Kenya typically gets most of its rainfall between March and June and some showers between October and December, weather patterns have begun to change. Many areas haven’t had sufficient water since late 2020, and there is no indication when the drought will break. Cereal production across northern Kenya and southern Somalia halved last year, and many cattle, goat and camel herds were decimated. Russia’s war on Ukraine has made a terrible situation even worse, pushing up grain and fuel prices, and raising aid costs for governments whose coffers had already been depleted by the coronavirus pandemic. As Risks Rain Down on Emerging Markets, Unrest Rises: QuickTake This month, Kenya waived import duty on 540,000 tons of corn to address what Treasury Secretary Ukur Yutani described as an impending crisis, and President Uhuru Kenyatta increased the minimum wage by 12% to cushion workers against rising prices of grain, cooking oil and other staples. The government is doing its best to help more than 210,000 people impacted by the drought in the vicinity of Garissa, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of the capital, Nairobi, delivering water by truck to far-flung locations, according to Shukri Fiyat, a spokesman for the Kenya’s National Drought Management Authority. “The work is continuous and draining resources,” he said. But Sharmake Mohamed, who heads the North Eastern Conservancies Association, a group of wildlife conservancies in Garissa and nearby Wajir and... |