Pastoralists in Northeastern Kenya are selling goats for as low as KSh 500, a heartbreaking drop that shows just how bad the drought has gotten in places like Mandera.
People here used to get up to KSh 10,000 or even KSh 15,000 for a healthy goat. Now, with no rain for months, animals are skin and bones, and herders have no choice but to let them go cheap before they die.
One trader in Rhamu market told reporters he watched goats go for KSh500 just to get something back. “I’d rather sell now than lose everything,” he said. It’s the same story across Mandera North, Lafey, and Banisa – prices crashed overnight.
The dry spell hit hard late last year and hasn’t let up. Pastures turned to dust. Water points dried out. Families walk their herds 30 or 50 kilometres a day looking for anything green or a sip of water.
More than 25,000 animals have died already in Mandera alone this year. Goats, sheep, cattle – whole herds wiped out. Milk stopped coming, so kids and mums go hungry. Malnutrition cases shot up, especially among little ones.
Out in the villages, you hear the same worries. Osman Gabow, from Mandera North, said his animals barely produce milk anymore because they trek so far. “Some days, there’s nothing for the family,” he shared.
Herders rush to markets, flooding them with weak livestock. Buyers know it and offer next to nothing. A goat that once fed a family for months now brings enough for a few bags of maize.
This isn’t just Mandera’s problem. Neighbouring counties like Wajir, Garissa, and parts of Marsabit feel it too. Reports say over 2.5 million Kenyans face serious hunger because of the drought.
Ten counties are in bad shape, with kids showing signs of severe malnutrition. Aid groups truck in water and feed, but it’s a drop in the bucket for so many people.
Pastoralists built their lives around livestock. Camels, goats, cattle – that’s wealth, food, everything. When drought strips it away, families lose their way to survive.
Others hope for government help, like restocking programmes after the rains come. But right now, the sky stays clear, and the ground stays hard.
Markets in Mandera town look busy, but not in a good way. Lines of thin goats tied up, herders bargaining hard for whatever they can get. One man joked bitterly that soon they’ll give animals away just to lighten the load.
Aid workers warn things could get worse if the short rains fail again. Communities need more boreholes, better pasture management, and maybe even new ways to earn besides herding.
For now, though, families count the little money from those KSh 500 sales and stretch it as far as it goes.
Out here in the northeast, people are tough. They’ve survived dry times before. But this one feels heavier and longer. As one elder put it, “We pray for rain, but we also need help today.” The drought has taken so much already – no one wants to lose more.
