Photos show hunger and water scarcity as drought grips northern Kenya

A severe and prolonged drought in northern Kenya, particularly Turkana County, has escalated into a major humanitarian crisis. Repeated failed rainy seasons have left millions of residents struggling to access food and water. The situation is particularly dire for pastoralist communities, who are witnessing mass livestock deaths, destroying their primary livelihoods. Images from the region show residents queuing for rations provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Vision Kenya. Children and women are forced to fetch water from increasingly scarce sources for both domestic use and surviving animals. The crisis extends across the northeastern regions, including areas near the Somali border, where the lack of water and food has reached critical levels as of early February 2026.