Mohamed is 79 and has lived in Wajir in Kenya all his life. He says that over the course of his lifetime, the twice-yearly rains on which his family depend for food have become less and less reliable.

Mohamed says: "When I was younger, every decade would have one year of bad rains, but the rest would be okay. Now the rains fail every two or three years. There is much less time for families to recover in between the droughts and it is getting harder to survive."

Kenya's economy faces considerable negative impact due to the variable and severe climatic and weather patterns occurring as a result of climate change. The people worst hit are those communities in northern Arid and Semi-Arid areas, comprising 80% of the total land coverage in Kenya. Wajir District is in this region.

Its inhabitants, who practice pastoralism, are among the poorest in the country. Their way of life is largely dependent on livestock rearing. Northern Kenya provides most of the meat consumed throughout the entire country. The livestock sector accounts for 90% employment and 95% household income in this region.

In a country where rainfall is the most important climatic element, frequent and longer droughts have been reported by the pastoral communities living in the north. Climate variability is already evident through the shifts in seasonal rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures, frequency and intensity of rainfall in certain regions. These translate into perennial droughts and seasonal floods, the two leading climatic related risks in the country. Landslides during the wet season and wild fires in the dry seasons are also becoming an increasing threat. In general, climatic related disasters constitute 70% of all natural disasters in the country.

Drought conditions create poor agricultural and livestock production, which in turn creates food insecurity. Among pastoral communities with limited water resources and access to pasture for rearing animals, conflict is rife. While a rise in temperature associated with rainfall increase in Arid and Semi-Arid areas would have a positive effect on pastures – improving livestock conditions and arable crops - it exposes the area to periodic floods. This leads to water-borne diseases such as cholera and malaria, displacement of populations and loss of lives.

Besides climate change, people living in these areas are disadvantaged by other factors, such as political and economic exclusion, which together with climate change have fuelled the lack of essential services and high poverty levels.

Oxfam in Kenya has been working in Wajir District to support communities: build and maintain water sources, provide relief food and water during droughts, support livestock health and other long-term development interventions.

Country climate reference: Suffering the Science, Oxfam Briefing Paper, July 2009. Renton, Alex What happened to the Seasons?, Oxfam GB Research Report, October 2009. Jennings, Dr Steve & John Magrath

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Livestock drink at the Dambas watering hole in Wajir district. Photo: Brendan Cox - Oxfam

Families in Wajir migrate in search of food and water. Photo: Brendan Cox – Oxfam

People queuing at the community watering hole. Photo: Brendan Cox - Oxfam

Jerry cans left in a tree ready for Oxfam water tankering operation, Wajir Photo: Jane Beesley - Oxfam

Empty water pan – Wajir district Photo: Jane Beesley - Oxfam

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