Holding families together through drought and recovery in Wajir

When the drought came, it did not arrive all at once.

It came slowly, with failed rains and shrinking pasture. Livestock grew weaker. Food became harder to afford. Debts accumulated. Families across Wajir County found themselves making increasingly difficult choices to keep their households going. 

For Zeinab Abdille (70) and Farhiya Adan (23), the drought tested not only their livelihoods, but also their ability to hold their families together.  They live in different parts of Wajir and are at different stages of life, yet both have experienced the challenges that prolonged drought can bring to household wellbeing and economic stability.

Zeinab lives in Della. A widow living with a disability, she shares her home with her daughter, grandchildren and other relatives. The family depends largely on a small herd of goats and occasional income from casual labour.

During the drought, families in her community drew on long-standing traditions of mutual support, sharing available resources and prioritising assistance for those facing the greatest challenges.

“In this village, we lived and braced the dry season through sharing the little available resources. For any assistance, we used to prioritise and focus on the most vulnerable.”

Hundreds of kilometres away, Farhiya was facing her own struggle. At just 23 years old, she is raising five children. Her eldest is eight years old and attends school. Before the drought, her family owned around one hundred goats. As rains failed and conditions deteriorated over successive seasons, and the herd steadily declined. Today, only twenty remain.

For families like Farhiya’s, livestock represent far more than income. They provide food, help absorb shocks and form the foundation of household livelihoods.  Over successive failed rainy seasons, that number fell dramatically. Today, only twenty remain.

“The drought took most of our animals,” Farhiya explains. “We depended on livestock sales for income.”

For pastoralist families, livestock are more than assets. They provide food, income and security during difficult times. When herds are lost, the impact reaches every part of daily life.

As income disappeared, Farhiya began buying food on credit to keep her family fed. 

Like thousands of vulnerable households across Wajir, both women received cash assistance through WFP’s Lisha Jamii drought response in Wajir. While the amount was the same, the decisions they made with it reflected the different realities facing their families.

For Farhiya, the priority was clearing debt accumulated during the drought. “The cash assistance helped us. Most of it I used to clear outstanding debts, while the remaining amount I paid for my children’s school expenses.”

Paying off what she owed allowed her to start afresh. She could once again buy household essentials and cover school and madrassa costs for her children.

For Zeinab, the transfer meant something equally important: food on the table.

Milk, vegetables and maize flour were among the immediate priorities for her family. The support helped ensure that children and other household members had access to nutritious meals during a difficult period. For both households, the support provided flexibility at a critical moment.  Though their circumstances differed, both women used the assistance in the same way many families do when given the opportunity to choose, they invested it where it mattered most.

The effects were visible beyond individual households. 

Zeinab observed differences between families who had received support and those who had not, highlighting the wider role that timely assistance can play in helping communities navigate periods of stress.

“Those who got the assistance are different from those who didn’t receive support. Those who got the assistance have benefited.”

“Those who got the assistance are different from those who didn’t receive support. Those who got the assistance have benefited.”

The situation in Wajir has improved compared to the peak of the drought with the recent long rains. Rainfall in some areas has supported pasture regeneration and livestock recovery. Farhiya's remaining goats are gradually regaining strength, while livestock owned by Zeinab's household have also begun reproducing again.

Yet recovery remains gradual.

Rebuilding herds takes time. Animals must regain health, reproduce and grow before families can fully restore lost assets and income. Household costs, meanwhile, remain high.

Looking ahead, both women remain focused on the future.

Farhiya hopes her children in the future will complete their education and access opportunities beyond those available today. Zeinab hopes to see her household continue its recovery as livestock numbers gradually rebuild and economic pressures ease.

Their experiences reflect both the lasting effects of prolonged drought and the importance of timely support that helps households protect livelihoods, meet essential needs and continue investing in their futures.

Across Wajir, many families are rebuilding herds, restoring household stability and preparing for the next season. Cash assistance has helped create space for that recovery, enabling households to prioritise their own needs and make decisions that support their wellbeing and future resilience.

This cash-based transfer under WFP’s Lisha Jamii Phase 5 drought response was funded through Kenya Humanitarian Fund