The chief addressing a climate change hearing in Gerilley.

Habiba Osman a 63-year-old woman from South Wajir, Kenya, told her local climate hearing, “I can remember far back. Over time the droughts have got more and more frequent.”

Against an alarming and life-threatening backdrop, people in Wajir have held a series of climate hearings. The drought in their district is the most severe in recent memory, leaving children malnourished, animal’s weak or dying and people struggling to find water. Nearly 4 million Kenyans are affected.

Habiba continued to the assembled crowd, “Now I have to wake up at 4am to walk for four hours to reach the nearest borehole, where trucks bring our only supply of water. Even when I get there, I have to queue for more hours to collect water because there are so many other people waiting.”

The people here think that the local climate is changing. The rains are failing more frequently and droughts are becoming more common. Some people reported having to walk up to 60 kilometres to find water for their family and animals. Many talked about how they are forced to survive on less than five litres per day – far below the international standard of 15 litres per day.

In some areas, communities reported that livestock have started dying because of the long treks for water – 185 animal carcasses were recently found around one dried-up water source. Most communities in Wajir are pastoralists and livestock are the most vital source of income. With a lack of clean water, there are also growing concerns of outbreaks of serious illnesses.

Many local people said they have noticed the climate changing, but did not know why. Some said that the government has exacerbated the problem by creating too many residential locations and putting too much pressure on the land. Others said it was because the Gods are angry.

“I have never seen the situation this bad – there is no water at all. Cattle are our livelihoods, and when they are gone we have nothing left”, said Omar Haji, testifying at a hearing in Hadado. “Our children can’t go to school because they have to spend all day looking for water for the cattle. We desperately need another borehole and more water here.”

At the hearings the people called on the Kenyan government, international donors and humanitarian organisations to provide more long-term development in the region, not just emergency aid. They also asked for health centres, water boreholes and medicine for cattle to help them cope.