27th July, 2011
While the Kenya Coast, with its sandy beaches and welcoming tourist resorts, is often perceived from the outside as a wealthy part of the country, those who live there know very well that beneath and beyond the illusory greenness of its expanses of palm fronds, life is harsh.
Each location on the Coast has its peculiarities, but these days, all share raw data which is brutal in its implications.
Three consecutive seasons of poor rain have impoverished these communities composed mainly of subsistence farmers and the last one will result in crops which will yield 15-20 per cent of the expected average. Some areas fare better than others, but from the hinterland of the port of Mombasa to the border with Somalia, farmers who will have any form of crop – and there are those who will not – will not long feed their families.
Food is scarce in the market and when at all available its cost has doubled. Even those who have some money available to buy food will be on half rations.
The Kaloleni District Agricultural Officer estimates that crops of over 22,000 farming households in the district will not yield more than 15% of the average; in Bamba Division, 60 km inland from the emerald waters of Kilifi Bay, the District Officer fears that the harvest “will be almost zero”; in Malindi District, the area’s 85,000 hectares and the 10,000 households farming this land will yield an average of 20% - 25%.
The government, with support from the World Food Programme, has been providing supplementary feeding in schools, though not in all of them, but the support is not reaching wide sectors of the population and its current sustainability is uncertain. Many communities are already going hungry.
Food is often unavailable and food costs, due to inflation fuelled by a weak shilling and spiralling fuel costs have doubled and at times trebled and the already limited buying power of households has been more than halved. Many of these households are burdened by years of poor crops and their resources are exhausted.
Mr Kajembe Charo lives in one of the drier parts of Kaloleni district. His household of 12, including six small children, depends entirely on the 1.5 acre plot of rain-fed land and what it yields. During the past season, he planted some green peas, which did reasonably well, and maize, which totally failed. The family has no food reserves.
Click on the image below to view a slideshow - Effects of the drought at the Kenyan Coast
The only means Kajembe has to ensure his family’s survival is to cut down trees to make charcoal. He manages to produce about one bag a week, which he sells for Ksh400 (US$5). But he and his neighbours have been producing charcoal as a coping mechanism during drought for many years, and now trees are hard to find.
Mr Kajembe’s family get their water from nearby dams, but the one allocated for drawing water for human consumption has virtually dried up and the community is now sharing the remaining water with cattle. When the last dam dries up, their last resort will be in Mariakani town, 25km away, that receives piped water from Mzima Springs, far away in Tsavo.
Left with no alternative, thousands upon thousands of people like Mr Kajembe turn to charcoal production or the sale of firewood.
The rise in fuel prices, which amongst other things makes paraffin for cooking unaffordable in Kenya’s spiralling urban centres, is feeding a growing demand for charcoal which meets a growing market caused by poverty.
These factors continue to contribute to an acceleration of deforestation in the country, adding to the chronic loss of water catchment and water conservation areas and soil erosion.
Though contributing to the possibility of day-to-day survival of many families, charcoal and firewood production are also contributing to their long term loss of essential resources.
In terms of back-up in a crisis situation, some communities are more protected than others.
For example, in the areas closer to the coastline where an early start to an improved tourist season is bringing great benefits, many local people are directly employed in the tourist industry and are able, through their employment earnings, to support families who remain back on the farms. Arts and crafts, some food sellers and fisheries also benefit from the influx of tourists.
The ‘high season’ causes a temporary increase in prices as demand increases and large numbers of wealthier consumers compete with the local people for resources. This is of course limited in time and is inevitably followed by a ‘slump’, but it is still a blessing for thousands of families.
Some groups of tourists also support local socially relevant projects, temporarily improving their cash flow and ability to assist those in need.
Those living further away from the Coast are not as lucky.
