Kenya monitoring worsening water scarcity conflicts in Horn of Africa, PS Omollo says

Kenya is keenly monitoring the worsening water scarcity and climate-induced conflicts both within its borders and across the wider Horn of Africa.

The Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Dr. Raymond Omollo, expressed concern that competition over water and grazing resources continues to heighten tensions in vulnerable regions, making water insecurity not only a development issue, but also a matter of peace and national stability that demands urgent and coordinated action.

Speaking during the opening of the International Conference on Water, Peace and Security held at Ole Sereni, Nairobi, Dr. Omollo outlined key government interventions aimed at transforming water from a trigger of conflict into a catalyst for cooperation.

These include the National Climate Change Security Response Programme, the monthly Chiefs’ Climate Action Day, conflict-sensitive natural resource management, strengthened community-based early warning systems, and enhanced cross-border water diplomacy and collaboration with neighbouring countries.

“We have put in mechanisms to monitor these conflicts for now,” he said.

He noted that as climate pressures intensify, dwindling water sources and degraded ecosystems are increasingly becoming flashpoints for competition, particularly among pastoralist and farming communities.

He emphasized that water insecurity has evolved from an environmental issue into a matter of peace, national cohesion and stability.

“Sustainable water governance, therefore, must be placed at the centre of conflict prevention and regional integration efforts,” he said.

The conference was attended by high-level dignitaries, among them former Ghana president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Amb. Fred Gateretse-Ngoga of the African Union Commission, Outi Holopainen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Dr. Madiodio Niasse of the Dakar Water Hub, Senegal.