Speech by Hon. Mohamed Elmi, EGH, MBE, MP, Minister of State for ...

Speech by Hon. Mohamed Elmi, E.G.H., M.B.E., M.P., Minister of
State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands,
at a media briefing on drought management
Laico Regency, Nairobi, 16 February 2011
Fellow Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for your invitation to speak at this media briefing at a time
when, once again, people in arid and semi-arid lands are coping with the
onset of drought. As the briefing for this meeting makes clear, drought is a
regular and predictable event. With carefully planned interventions early
enough in the drought cycle, well before any signs of crisis are apparent,
we know that the worst impacts of drought are entirely preventable.
Given what we know, it is unacceptable that the response this year is so
late and not as well coordinated as it should be. But we must understand
the reasons why that is so. It is not the consequence of ill-will. Rather, it
results from structural problems in the way both drought and arid lands
development are addressed in Kenya.
The briefing you have been given explains very well the impact of
historical under-investment in the arid lands, particularly in infrastructure,
services, and the livestock sector. The Government is fully committed to
reversing this situation so that communities are better cushioned against
the impact of drought. The new Constitution, with mechanisms such as the
Equalisation Fund, and the overhaul of the budgeting system under the
Commission on Revenue Allocation, will be instrumental in ensuring
greater equity in the distribution of national resources. The role of my
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Ministry is also to work with other parts of Government to ensure that
resources are better aligned with the priorities of communities in the arid
lands, and that they accommodate the important realities of life in these
areas, such as their sparsely distributed and often mobile populations.
Turning more specifically to drought management, Kenya actually has a
well-developed and well-respected drought management system. In 23
arid and semi-arid counties there is a community-based early warning
system in operation. Each of those counties also produces regular
contingency plans. At national level there are coordination structures that
bring together both government and its development partners. But there
are two problems with this system.
First, it operates within a project framework – the Arid Lands Resource
Management Project within my Ministry. I am sure that when any of you
visit the arid lands to gather stories and pictures, it will often be the Arid
Lands project and associated District Steering Group which facilitates your
movement on the ground. A drought management system that operates
within a partially donor-financed project is not institutionalised, and lacks
the necessary authority to ensure coordination across Government.
That is why my Ministry is proposing the creation of a National Drought
Management Authority. This will have four benefits. First, it will direct
specialist and focused attention to drought – even in good years – and thus
permit long-term planning to improve the quality of the drought
management system over time, such as factoring in climate change. I have
been personally involved with this system for many years, well before I
joined Government. And I have noticed how easy it is to lose institutional
memory. For example, we used to talk a lot about ‘entitlement’ – the
principle that communities should know what they are entitled to receive
and when they will receive it – but I rarely hear that word used now.
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Second, an Authority will ensure continuity in drought management,
unaffected by Ministerial restructuring. Third, it will have the mandate to
ensure effective coordination of drought response across Government and
with development partners. And fourth, it will have the credibility and
autonomy to disburse resources based on clearly benchmarked triggers
and guidelines. Drought response should be directed towards the most
needy, not the most noisy.
The second problem with the current drought management system is that
it lacks financial flexibility. Current contingency provisions are relatively
modest in scale and use normal Government disbursement channels,
which are not sufficiently nimble to ensure appropriate action early enough
in the drought cycle. We know that early and more thoughtful response
substantially reduces the negative impact and subsequent costs of drought.
Therefore, my Ministry is also proposing the creation of a National
Drought Contingency Fund, which will complement the Authority. The
Fund will be a set-aside contingency fund, which will allow financial flows
to drought-affected areas unimpeded by the year-end procedures of either
the Government or its development partners. In good years, the Fund will
accumulate. When the first signs of drought become apparent, the Fund
can quickly begin disbursing resources against contingency plans. It will
do so in a professional and impartial manner, and in a way that inspires
and builds confidence among both public and private donors.
My Ministry is fortunate to benefit from the goodwill and support of
development partners such as the European Community and the World
Bank, both of which have supported the design of the Authority and the
Fund. All the groundwork for these two institutions has been laid. I am
therefore confident that both can be established within a short space of
time. Once they are fully functioning, and in all but the most exceptional
cases, drought emergencies should become a thing of the past.
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Ladies and gentlemen, these two institutions will be important but not
sufficient to ensure that droughts are better managed in future. There are
two other important pillars. The first concerns the NGO community. I
congratulate the REGLAP consortium, and other members of civil society,
for their persistent advocacy on the issue of drought. Innovation is the
niche which NGOs have always occupied. All the features of our drought
management system were piloted or initially financed by NGOs: the early
warning system, livestock offtake, the growing role of cash rather than
food, and the rise in localism – for example, contracts with local traders to
supply part of communities’ entitlements. I urge you to continue this spirit
of innovation, and to keep Government briefed about approaches which
would benefit from wider scale-up.
The second key pillar is the media. In my view, the media’s coverage of
drought has improved significantly in recent years, both in quantity and
quality. I see stories which are more informed about the underlying
problems facing the arid lands. I see more initiative, and more evidence of
follow-through. Journalists regularly come to Parliament to put Ministers
on the spot. However uncomfortable that can sometimes feel, I fully
welcome it. The media’s role as public watchdog is fundamental to a
democratic and accountable society. I encourage more of the same,
matched by a complementary commitment to the responsibilities of good
journalism.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the organisers of
this forum. I believe that it has given all of us food for thought. I welcome
further dialogue on ways in which the Government can ensure better
drought management – a task which will become more complex as climate
change deepens. And I congratulate both the NGO and media communities
for their continued efforts to hold Government to account in this critical
area. Thank you.
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