Drought Drives Kenyan Pastoralists Into Uganda
Tens of thousands of pastoralists fled from Turkana in Kenya to Uganda last week to escape the drought. It is the latest blow for the parched region for which politicians once made rash promises of rapid modernization.
As many as 10,000 Kenyan pastoralists have crossed the border from Turkana in Kenya to Uganda in search of pasture and water for their cattle.
Josephat Nanok, governor of Kenya's Turkana County, confirmed their departure and urged Uganda to accommodate them, The Monitor in Kampala reported.
This latest exodus means that a total of 60,000 Turkana pastoralists and 127,000 livestock have moved to Uganda's Karamjoa sub-region over the last seven days.
One Turkana pastoralist said they had fled to Karamoja because, unlike Turkana, it still had some shrubs and bushes which could serve as food for the cattle.
EU/ECHO Martin Karimi