Kenya and Ethiopia in a fresh effort to mitigate the escalating effects of drought is mulling a new dam project.
The two countries are strengthening collaboration on the River Dawa Basin project to address the current drought situation hitting North Eastern in Kenya, specifically Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Isiolo counties.
The initiative will focus on a proposed multi-purpose dam on the River Dawa, which forms part of the Kenya-Ethiopia border within the drought-prone Mandera Triangle.
The basin is an important resource for over three million people, supporting irrigation, livestock production, domestic water supply, and broader livelihoods in one of the region’s most climate-vulnerable zones.
The programme covers upgrading cross-border roads, bridges, and trade corridors; expanding reliable power through the national borderlands electrification programme; and advancing the River Dawa Basin programme to enhance irrigation, livestock production, water supply, and climate resilience.
Why it’s important
Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi highlighted the dam’s potential: the Dawa River Basin is “more than a lifeline, it is the backbone of survival for over 3 million people across the drought-prone tri-border ‘Mandera Triangle.’”
The proposed dam is projected to hold 2 billion cubic metres of water across a 160 km riverine ecosystem covering approximately 9,000 km², with irrigation capacity for up to 1.2 million acres.
Stakeholders agreed to send a joint delegation to Addis Ababa for coordinated engagement with Ethiopian counterparts to fast-track the project under the Dawa River Basin Initiative.
The initiative comes amid escalating drought in northern Kenya, now in its third month following failed 2025 short rains.
For three consecutive seasons of failed rains in Northern Kenya have pushed pastoral communities to the brink. Fields lie bare, water sources have dried up, and livestock the backbone of life in the region are dying in alarming numbers.
The result has been rising malnutrition, especially among children under five and expectant mothers, deepening food insecurity, and disrupted education as families struggle to survive.
According to Kenya’s National Disaster Management Authority about 1.76 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity and require urgent assistance. Of these, more than 179,000 people are already in emergency conditions, particularly in counties such as Mandera, Turkana, Wajir, and Baringo. The situation is expected to worsen, with up to 2.12 million people projected to face acute food insecurity by January 2026.
“The drought is not just an environmental crisis; it is a social and economic emergency,” says Dr. Monica Nderitu, an environment and climate change resilience expert.
“When livestock die, everything else collapses nutrition, income, health, education, and dignity.”
In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid Lands, livestock is far more than an economic asset. It is food, savings, identity, and security. In counties such as Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa, most households depend directly on pastoralism for survival. Nationally, livestock supplies over 90 percent of Kenya’s meat and milk, making it central to the country’s food and nutrition security.
As droughts become longer and more frequent, survival increasingly depends on one critical strategy: pastoral mobility.
In Mandera County, the impact is already severe. According to the Kenya Red Cross, malnutrition has emerged as the most serious humanitarian threat, particularly among children under five and the elderly. Thousands of households are struggling to cope as livestock losses mount and food prices rise.
For centuries, pastoral communities have relied on indigenous knowledge to survive harsh climates. Long before scientific forecasts are released, they read signs in animal behaviour, cloud patterns, winds, plants, stars, and moon cycles to anticipate drought and act early.
“Indigenous climate knowledge is incredibly precise and local,” says Dr. Nderitu. “It allows pastoralists to move early, reduce losses, and adapt before drought peaks.”
She notes that pastoral systems offer critical lessons for national climate policy. Supporting mobility corridors, negotiated grazing agreements, herd diversification, and community-led resource management can strengthen both ecological and social resilience. Integrating indigenous forecasting into Kenya’s formal early warning systems would further improve preparedness.
In counties like Mandera, where most households depend on livestock, the cost of inaction is already visible asset loss, severe food insecurity, rising malnutrition, and growing conflict over scarce resources.
“Mobility spreads risk,” Dr. Nderitu says. “It reduces pressure on land, lowers conflict, and helps communities survive climate stress.”
To keep this system working, pastoral communities need secure migration corridors, social protection, improved early warning systems, and sustained investment in water infrastructure. Climate-smart practices such as drought-tolerant breeds and fodder production are also critical. While NGOs play a vital role in emergency response and recovery, strong government leadership remains essential.
