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{
    "id": 704850,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/704850/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 117,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lesan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 506,
        "legal_name": "Wilfred Rottich Lesan",
        "slug": "wilfred-rottich-lesan"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, indeed, Tana River County is one of the counties that is stated in the very first statement which have just read. The Government is aware of the drought and food security situation across the country since this is monitored closely on a monthly basis. The drought monitoring system is managed by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and is well established. A brief summary of the system now follows for the information of hon. Senators. (1) Each month, data is collected in 160 sentinel sites across 23 arid and semi-arid counties. This is complemented by information from other sources such as satellite data. (2) Data is collected again as a constant set of indicators which when taken together, promote a comprehensive picture of the drought situation and its impacts. These indicators cover the following:- (a) Environmental conditions (rainfall, vegetation and water sources); (b) Livestock production (prices, body condition, milk production, migration and disease); (c) Crop production (area planted, expected use, prices of food corps and commodities); (d) Access to water (distance to water points for human and livestock use and water quality. (e) Markets (supply of commodities in the markets and prices of commodities); (f) Health and nutrition; (g) Welfare (communities coping mechanisms, type and number of meals eaten per day); (h) Information on other issues that affect food security such as conflict and access to education is also gathered. (iii) For indicators, the current value is compared with the long-term average for that time of the year. This is important because it tells us whether the situation in a particular month is better or worse than might normally be expected, taking customary seasonal fluctuations into account. (iv) The combined analysis from all the indicators that determine the drought phase. There are five phases in the Kenyan early warning system which reflect the varying severity of drought conditions such as normal, alert, alarm, emergency or recovery. Identifying the correct drought phase helps in guiding the most appropriate response. (v) The NDMA produces a monthly drought early warning bulletin for each drought-prone county which is discussed with and validated by the County Steering Group before publication. The county bulletins are then consolidated to a national bulletin. A sample county bulletin can be found in Annex 1 to this Statement and the most recent national bulletin in Annex 2. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}