Devastating Locust Swarms Return to Threaten Kenyan Crops

New Wave of Locust Swarms Descends on Kenya, Threatening Food Security
Farmers across northern and central Kenya are facing a renewed agricultural nightmare as massive swarms of desert locusts have returned, threatening to devastate crops and pastureland. The invasion, detected in several counties, comes as the region experiences heavy rainfall that created ideal breeding conditions for the destructive pests. Agricultural officials have raised the alarm, warning that swift intervention is critical to prevent a full-blown crisis that could wipe out livelihoods and jeopardize the nation’s food security.
The current swarms are believed to be a new generation, emerging from eggs laid during the last major infestation. The immature, bright yellow locusts are particularly voracious, consuming their own body weight in food daily. Satellite imagery and ground reports indicate that the swarms are highly mobile, moving with the wind and descending upon fields of maize, sorghum, and other staple crops just as the planting season reaches a critical phase. We thought they were gone, but now they are back, and they are eating everything we planted, lamented a farmer from Isiolo County.
The Kenyan government, in collaboration with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has reactivated its emergency response, deploying aerial and ground spraying teams to target the locusts before the swarms can mature and multiply further. However, the response is complicated by the swarms’ presence in remote and inaccessible areas, as well as concerns about the environmental impact of pesticides. The FAO has emphasized that sustained surveillance and control are essential to manage the upsurge.
The long-term outlook hinges on the effectiveness of the current counter-offensive and regional cooperation. If the swarms are not contained, they could breed again, leading to a larger, more destructive wave later in the year. The recurrence of the locusts underscores the heightened vulnerability of East African agriculture to climate shocks, where cycles of drought and extreme rainfall create a perfect storm for such plagues. For Kenyan farmers, the buzzing in the air is a sound of impending loss, and the race to protect the harvest has begun once more.