During a meeting of the National Assembly's Committee on Regional Development, Chief Secretary Ismail Maalim Madai warned that recurring climate-related natural disasters are overwhelming the government's emergency response capabilities. He noted that for emergency food assistance in the 2026/27 financial year, the department was allocated only 162.8 million Kenyan shillings a figure he called extremely insufficient.
«Providing emergency assistance to affected populations remains the Department of State's primary mandate. However, the current allocations are not enough to meet the growing humanitarian needs arising from the periodic droughts», Madai told the committee.
To underscore the seriousness of the situation, Madai reported that the government has already used Article 223 of the Constitution this fiscal year to allocate 12.65 billion KSh for emergency measures to combat the drought. He warned that continued underfunding would seriously undermine the department's ability to support major humanitarian operations.
Of the requested amount, the ministry is seeking 14 billion KSh for emergency relief operations and 5 billion KSh for the establishment and maintenance of the Strategic Food Reserve, for which there is currently no budget allocation. Maidy also noted that the department is facing significant operational difficulties, including a serious staff shortage: only nine technical staff are employed with an approved staffing schedule of 62 people.
Members of Parliament expressed strong support for this request. Committee Chairman Peter Lochakpong drew attention to the logistical disruptions in «last mile» food distribution, noting that without adequate funding, food assistance often does not reach the most vulnerable. Gathoni Wamuchomba, a member of parliament for Githunburi, praised the department's impartial assistance, while Embu spokeswoman Pamela Njeru criticized the agency's chronic underfunding, saying: «They are dealing with marginalized people and they should not be marginalized themselves».
Banis MP Ali Maalim Hassan defended the department's reputation, saying that their previous interventions had played an important role in preventing a much larger humanitarian catastrophe during the last drought cycle.
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