At a roadside camp in Garissa, a group of pastoralists try to lift a camel from the ground using a large tree branch. Weakened by the drought in the north of Kenya, the camel needs help to get back on its feet to find pasture.
Kenya is facing its worst drought in decades, and the north – a region that has been marginalised for a long time – is disproportionately affected.
Ali Hillow Hassan photographed in March at the IDP camp on the outskirts of Garissa
Ali Hillow Hassan, 74, a pastoralist, has lost nearly 80 camels this year. He has only two left, and is doing whatever he can to help them through the drought. On the margins of a camp for people who have left their homes in search of water and support, the smell of dead carcasses fills the air. Witnessing their camels, one of the world’s most resilient animals, die is a sign of extremely difficult times, say the pastoralists.
Hillow migrated to Garissa County from Wajir, about 185 miles to the north, in hope of finding better water and pasture for his livestock. Garissa is experiencing the highest number of new arrivals from northern states, according to International Organization for Migration data. The county is hard-hit by the drought, but less so than other regions – categorised by government agencies as being on “alert” rather than in states of “alarm” or “emergency”, such as those farther north.
A water truck makes a delivery to an IDP camp on the outskirts of Garissa; a camel grazes near the camp
But for Hillow, things are only marginally better in Garissa. Many of his animals died on the journey south or soon after. He and the other pastoralists settled in a camp along the Garissa-Modogashe road, in an area not too far from Garissa town, which they describe as being “closer to the government” – with better accessibility to services and community aid.
Local officials say that the drought is driving high rates of displacement and migration.
“We’re seeing communities with no support systems come down to Garissa, which places some burden on existing communities,” said Ahmednadhir Omar, a health official with the Garissa County government.
People wait as food is distributed at the Garissa IDP camp
With the high number of pastoralists moving into the county, the area is also reporting the highest number of livestock deaths. Pastoralists say the health of their livestock has deteriorated, affecting trade.
A healthy camel can sell for more than 100,000 Kenyan shillings (£595).
“Many of the pastoralists were rich one day, and poor the next,” says Omar Mohamed, 28, a camp resident. He adds that six consecutive failed rains have pushed pastoralists further to the margins. Some have opted to take up jobs as cab or motorcycle taxi drivers, he says. “The future of all the people here – or at least, the one they know – is at risk.”
Clockwise from top left: women assemble at a water point at Afwein in Garissa; food supplies are delivered to people who have fled drought in Wajir; rolling a jerry can full of water back to camp; waiting for aid to be distributed
New arrivals say they have not met with any tensions from local communities in Garissa town. Some have been met by wellwishers offering food.
Sporadic rains last month led to flash floods in some parts of the country, but they were not enough to ease the drought, which still remains critical in most of the country.
Just over 500,000 people in the county are in need of humanitarian aid, and the number of people requiring assistance has increased by 125% in the past two years, according to data from health officials.
A man walks across the dry bed of the Modogashe River in Garissa
