Dry spell to continue this week

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Agriculture PS Romano Kiome says the country will have a surplus of more than five million bags of maize by the end of June. Photo/FILE 

By GATONYE GATHURA gathura@ke.nationmedia.com AND DANIEL NYASSY dnyassy@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, March 18  2012 at  22:30

IN SUMMARY

• Delay spells doom for Kenyans who are grappling with milk and vegetable shortages

It will be another dry week in most parts of the country, dashing hopes of an early onset of the long rains, the Meteorological Department has predicted.

The weathermen had forecast that the rains would start by last week in most of the highlands such as the Rift Valley and western Kenya.

The forecast had indicated that by this third week of March, most parts of the country should be experiencing rains except Coast, Eastern and North Eastern provinces, which would start getting wet by next week.

However, the weekly forecast, which covers last Friday to this Thursday shows much of the country will remain dry with only a few showers in the Lake region.

“Hot and dry conditions will be sustained over much of the country for most of the week with day temperatures being higher than is usually normal in March,” the forecast says.

The delayed rains will also mean Kenyans may have to wait longer for a significant improvement in milk and vegetable supplies that have led to high prices.

According to the Kenya Dairy Processors Association, the shortage has seen the cost of milk increase by five shillings in the last few weeks and the dry spell could worsen the situation.

A false start of the rains early this month sent maize farmers planting in parts of Nyanza and Western areas while in Bomet County, farmers who usually plant the main crop in February may have to do so again.

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Delayed rains may also dash Agriculture ministry’s hopes of an early harvest in August.

Agriculture PS Romano Kiome says the country will have a surplus of more than five million bags of maize by the end of June. This would be enough to feed the country until mid-August when early harvests start filtering into the market.

The government has, however, assured the country that it has put in place measures to make sure food distribution imbalances, as experienced last year when produce was going to waste in the Rift Valley while Kenyans were starving in North Eastern, does not happen.