Over 200, 000 Kenyans are going to be food insecure in December 2025, as drought persists in most parts of the country, a projection by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) shows.
According to NDMA, the current population of food insecure Kenyans is at 1.8 million and is expected to hit 2.14 million by January 2026.
This has been attributed to the low performance of the October-December short rains across the country.
Most regions in the country are expected to experience near-average to below-average rainfall throughout December, with the northeastern areas facing particularly severe rainfall deficits.
The NDMA’s forecast underscores the urgent need for early planning, resource mobilization, and allocation to enable timely response efforts aimed at reducing the potential adverse effects.
Typically, November marks the peak of the October-November-December short rains season.
However, this year, the month was unusually dry, especially in arid and semi-arid counties.
While isolated locations in Garissa and Tana River recorded near-normal rainfall levels, the majority of observation stations reported rainfall deficits ranging from below average to severely depressed amounts.
This widespread lack of rain aligns with Kenya Meteorological Department forecasts and highlights concerns over the region’s ongoing dry conditions.