Kenya could stop locust invasion within two months, despite coronavirus pandemic

The Government says it will take at least two more months to check the spread of the desert locusts in affected counties.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Crop Production department on [March 30] said 17 out of the 27 affected counties are still menaced by the fast-moving insect pests that first hit Mandera and Wajir counties last December.

The department’s Administration Secretary Kello Harsama noted that 10 counties including Mandera and Wajir have reported the end of the invasion adding that others like Kitui have made significant progress.

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Contrary to the perception that the fight against the spread of the deadly pests had slowed, the official added, “we have not been overshadowed (by COVID-19), we are active on the ground doing daily aerial and ground spraying and continuous training of personnel from counties’’.

He justified the need for more time ‘‘as the locusts are still laying eggs and reproducing’ before moving to other areas’’. However, Harsama said the department has enough chemicals and equipment to stop the spread of the locusts in the country within their time limit.

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