On Thursday, December 18, 2025 – The Kitui County Government convened a high-level engagement of the County Steering Committee (CSC) to deliberate on drought risk management and food security interventions amid worsening climate conditions in the county.
The full-day forum brought together senior leadership and technical teams from the County and National Governments, UN agencies, development and humanitarian partners, NGOs, CBOs and FBOs, private sector actors, and community-based Disaster Risk Management representatives, including youth climate ambassadors.
The meeting was attended by H.E. the Deputy Governor and the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Dr. Stephen Mbaya Kimwele, among other senior officials. Deliberations were structured, action-oriented, and underscored a strong spirit of shared accountability among stakeholders.
The County Steering Committee is the highest multi-sectoral coordination platform for drought risk management in Kitui County. Its role is critical in strengthening a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, particularly at a time when the county is grappling with increasing climate variability. Kitui has been classified among the ten counties currently in the ALERT phase, requiring urgent and coordinated interventions.
The forum was convened against the backdrop of recent advisories from the Kenya Meteorological Department, which indicate depressed performance of the October–November–December (OND) 2025 short rains. November rainfall across the county was significantly below average, raising concerns over emerging risks such as reduced crop and livestock production, delayed pasture regeneration, inadequate recharge of water sources, and increased pressure on food and nutrition security, especially in marginal and pastoral areas.
Key agenda items included an update on the county’s drought and food security outlook, harmonized production and food security analysis, a review of progress in implementing the Ending Drought Emergencies Common Programme Framework II (EDE-CPF II), and alignment of ongoing interventions across food, nutrition, livelihoods, water, and resilience sectors.
Participants also agreed on early drought response and mitigation actions, while county departments and development partners provided updates on ongoing and planned interventions.
The forum reaffirmed the Kitui County Government’s commitment to proactive drought preparedness, resilience building, and coordinated service delivery, with the goal of ensuring timely and effective support to safeguard livelihoods and the wellbeing of Kitui residents.
