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Special Programmes sector has appealed to Parliament for an additional Sh19.3 billion to bolster emergency relief operations as Kenya faces worsening drought conditions that threaten millions of vulnerable citizens with hunger and humanitarian distress.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development on Wednesday chaired by Pokot South MP Peter Lochakapong, Principal Secretary Ismail Maalim Madey warned that the department was struggling to respond to escalating climate-induced disasters due to chronic underfunding despite growing humanitarian demands.
He said the government allocated only Sh162.8 million for emergency food assistance in the 2026/27 financial year, a figure the PS termed grossly inadequate.
“Provision of relief assistance to affected populations remains the core mandate of the State Department. However, the current allocation of Sh162.8 million for emergency relief is inadequate to address the increasing humanitarian needs arising from recurrent droughts,” Madey told the committee.
The appeal comes amid renewed fears of food insecurity in arid and semi-arid regions following repeated drought cycles that have devastated livestock, disrupted livelihoods and pushed thousands of families into dependency on relief food.
To demonstrate the magnitude of the crisis, the PS disclosed that the government was forced to invoke Article 223 of the Constitution during the current financial year to approve Sh12.65 billion in emergency expenditure for drought response interventions.
“The underfunding is likely to severely limit the State Department’s ability to undertake timely and effective interventions, sustain humanitarian operations and provide adequate assistance to vulnerable populations,” he warned.
The department is seeking Sh14 billion for emergency relief operations and an additional Sh5 billion to operationalize and maintain the Strategic Food Reserve, which currently lacks any budgetary allocation despite being a key national emergency response mechanism.
“Despite the critical role it plays, the State Department is unable to implement this mandate due to lack of a budgetary allocation for maintenance of the Strategic Food Reserve,” Madey said.
The PS also revealed that the department is grappling with operational challenges, including severe understaffing and overcrowded offices that allegedly violate occupational safety regulations. The department currently has only nine technical officers against an approved establishment of 62.
Lawmakers across the political divide expressed support for the department, arguing that it remained central to the country’s disaster response efforts despite persistent budget cuts.
Committee chairperson Lochakapong raised concern over logistical gaps in the final stages of food distribution.
“We also find that after relief food is delivered to DCCs, the Department’s role technically ends there. But because there is no facilitation for last-mile distribution, some of the food ends up being sold to raise transport resources to reach affected areas,” he said.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba praised the department for offering humanitarian support without discrimination, especially to vulnerable families in informal settlements.
Embu Woman Representative Pamela Njeru faulted the continued underfunding of the agency.
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“They deal with marginalized people, and they themselves should not be marginalized,” she said.
Banisa MP Ali Maalim Hassan defended the department’s past drought interventions, saying they helped avert a major humanitarian catastrophe.
“If it wasn’t for their intervention, bearing in mind the last drought we had, we could be talking about other very bad things today,” he said.
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