SAKU, MARSABIT — Climate change is no longer news to farmers in northern Kenya. What is new is how people are dealing with it. Droughts, floods, early or late rains, heat waves, and disease outbreaks have become part of life in Marsabit.
But in Saku Constituency, early weather warnings and training in farming and livestock management are helping communities turn uncertainty into food on the table. The story is playing out differently in the villages of Sagante-Jaldesa and Dakabaricha this season.
The long rains (March, April, May) started on February 25 this year, weeks before they were expected. For many, the sudden downpour caught them unprepared. For John Waqo, 32, of Dakabaricha village, it became an opportunity. “The rains came too early,” Waqo says, standing beside his one-acre maize farm.
A regular listener to weather bulletins and agricultural programs on the radio commonly known as Kilimo na Ufugaji Waqo had been following forecasts from the Kenya Meteorological Department alongside advice from indigenous weather forecasters. When the rains arrived, he moved fast to plant maize to take advantage of the moist soil, even before he had fully prepared his land. The gamble paid off. “The maize has done extremely well,” he says.
Not everything worked, however. On his second acre, where he had planted beans, the heavy rains damaged the crop. “Beans don’t need too much rain. They stunted and the harvest will be poor,” Waqo explains. Fellow farmer Elizabeth Isaiah had a similar experience: “Beans don’t need a lot of rain. The early rains affected many farmers who had already planted,” she says. “We were expecting the rains next month, in April. We were not prepared for the sudden change.”
Marsabit County Director of Meteorology John Nguyo explains that these unseasonal rains are part of a broader shift. “The seasons have changed; the shifting of long rains is driven by global warming, where higher global temperatures heat Indian Ocean waters.
Warmer seas cause rapid evaporation, loading the atmosphere with moisture that triggers sudden, destructive downpours,” Nguyo says. “Climate change is altering rainfall patterns across the country, making forecasts less predictable and timing more critical.” That is why his department has been pushing more frequent weather updates through radio, chiefs’ barazas, and SMS alerts.
Earlier in February, farmers in Marsabit and the wider Marsabit-Moyale region spanning Kenya and Ethiopia had been urged to plant drought-tolerant, early-maturing crops. Oliver Kipkogei, a climate forecast expert at ICPAC, IGAD, advised farmers to prepare land early and plant crops such as teff, Katumani maize, beans, vegetables, and green grams. He also urged farmers to harvest and store rainwater and adopt water-efficient irrigation technologies, while warning farmers and agriculture officers to be ready for fall armyworm and other pest outbreaks.
While some crops failed, others thrived. In Sagante-Jaldesa, grass farmer Shibia Guyo Shibia is celebrating one of his best seasons, having already harvested 60 bales and expecting more than 200 bales from his two-acre farm. “This season I will harvest well,” Shibia says, urging farmers to look beyond traditional crops. “Grass farming has good income, especially in pastoralists’ areas.”
Livestock keepers were also advised to conserve grass and water for the dry season. Dr. Guyo Malicha Roba of ICPALD’s Drylands and Pastoralism Unit urged herders to share scarce resources and resolve conflicts peacefully. Indigenous weather forecaster Mzee Guyo Sora from Sololo added that early vaccination of livestock was key to prevent diseases spread by flies following the season’s weather forecast.
Saku Sub-County Agriculture Officer Dub Nura reiterates that farmers must prepare land early and follow weather updates closely to make informed decisions. “Farmers should prepare their farms early to cope with climate change effects that are changing rainfall seasons,” Nura says. “Follow weather forecast information so you can make the right farming decisions.” He also promotes crop rotation to maintain soil fertility and cut disease—a practice Waqo credits for his maize success after planting on land that had beans last season. “Crop rotation has helped me,” Waqo says.
For some residents who ignored or missed early warnings, the season brought losses. For those who listened, it brought lessons and food. The experiences in Dakabaricha and Sagante-Jaldesa show that while climate change is disrupting farming in Marsabit, adaptation is possible.
With timely information, technical advice, and willingness to change planting dates and crops, farmers are protecting harvests and food security. As climate shocks become more frequent, the difference between loss and livelihood in Saku increasingly comes down to one thing: whether a farmer heard the warning and acted on it.
