Livestock threatened as locusts invade Kenyan pasturelands

Livestock production in Northern Eastern Kenya is endangered following an invasion by desert locusts that is threatening to wipe out pasture grounds.

Agricultural officers in Mandera said the voracious vegetarians, which are moving in massive numbers have crossed the Kenyan border from Ethiopia and Somali into the country. The migratory insects are ravenous eaters and are known to clear all greenery they descend on. The crop protection unit of the Ministry of Agriculture is on high alert and a team of experts has been deployed to the area to help stop the insects.

The invasion is the first major one of its kind since 1962 when the country was hit by a similar invasion. Sources within the ministry said the insects have been attracted to the area by moist soils which they require for breeding. Good rains that have been falling in the area have brought about the perfect conditions for the insects to breed.

They have now settled on various swampy areas in Mandera and Elwak.

The crop protection unit in the area has, however, opted not to attack the insects at this stage but to wait for them to lay eggs and later to hatch into hoppers which takes two weeks time. After they hatch into hoppers, the small locusts are easier to control since they cannot fly for about 36 days as they move through various hopper stages of growth, the experts said. During this time, they can only move short distances on the ground.

The unit is casting its net over the whole of Mandera district since it is not certain where they would hatch the eggs. The officers are armed with equipment and machines like aircraft, vehicles and hand spray kits and chemicals that will be used in the operation.

The ultra low volume chemicals break down quickly, a feature that will allow pastoralists to return their flocks after a while. They have been given time to move their flocks to prevent them from coming into contact with the sprays before the chemicals break down.

Kenya is covered by the Desert Locusts Control Organisation for East Africa that also touches countries like Somalia, Eritrea, the Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. The organisation helps to combat the regular migration of the desert locusts, which come from Yemen in the Middle East.
It targets the insects at what is referred to as the ‘locust frontline’ extending along the Red Sea on the Somali Eritrea and Susan borders. The frontline has been set to prevent them from coming south into areas with a lot of moisture and high density of greenery where they are likely to cause more harm.

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