East Africa drought: 'The suffering here has no equal'

2022-05-14 14:58:29

In a desolate village in Turkana, Northern Kenya, villagers are praying for rain, but it just won't come. A fourth season of failed rains is causing one of the worst droughts East Africa has seen in decades, and this village, which is home to 3,600 families, is one of the areas hardest hit. The land is dry, dusty and barren.The remaining livestock eat the withered, grey shrubs which cover the land. The people eat whatever they can find, often not very much.Jacinta Atabo Lomaluk lives in Lomoputh village. She is a mother of five whose eldest son has been suffering from malnutrition since September. The 12-year-old is weak and cannot walk or even stand alone. She says she has never experienced conditions as bad as this drought before. "It is worsening, worse than it has ever been. That's why you can see signs of starvation here."