When disasters arrive they hurt the rich but cripple the poor. Very little is said about how ordinary people work very hard to make their lives bearable despite economic and social conditions. We do not know whether to start planting or to wait. The weather people are advising us to forget about maize. The government says we must be careful because they will not give us any relief.
All roads are closed and food only gets to the north by plane.
Sofia Duba, Kenya Pastoralist Forum, 18.1.98. Further reports of fatalities have been received from people who walked for days to collect relief supplies. Lucy Hannan reporting from Kenya, The Guardian, 19.1.98. Judith Achieng, IPS Kenya. Australia-Drought and bush fires 2.