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The failure of seasonal rains across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia is pushing millions of people toward a deepening food and water emergency, according to Oxfam, a global organisation.
In parts of Somalia, the cost of water in the worst-affected communities has surged by as much as 2,000 per cent, placing an unbearable burden on families already struggling with food shortages, displacement, and economic hardship, said Oxfam.
Households in the country now pay between $1 and $1.50 for a single jerrycan, compared with just $0.06 a year ago. In Hobyo town, north of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, communities are relying on water trucked from Gawaan village, located 30 kilometers away. High transportation costs are driving up prices even further.
Deepening water scarcity is also driving displacement with more than 58 million people across the three countries - Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia - lacking access to clean water.
The prolonged drought has dried up rivers, water points, and grazing lands that millions of pastoralists and farmers rely on for survival.
As rivers and shallow wells dry up, families, most often women and girls are forced to walk up to 15 kilometres just to collect a single 20-liter jerrycan of water. These journeys are often physically exhausting and sometimes unsafe, particularly in remote or drought-stricken areas.
The failure of the October-December rainy season has pushed nearly 26 million people into extreme hunger across the three countries - Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. This comes as communities are still trying to recover from a historic drought between 2020 and 2023, during which five consecutive rainy seasons failed, devastating crops, livestock and livelihoods.
In Somalia, a new Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) alert revealed that the number of people facing hunger has nearly doubled since early 2025, rising to 6.5 million people. One in three Somalis is expected to face crisis-level hunger between February and March 2026. Acute malnutrition has also more than doubled as climate pressures intensify.
The crisis extends beyond Somalia. In Kenya and Ethiopia, poor rainfall has led to major crop losses and declining livestock health.
Livestock, the backbone of pastoralist communities, are dying in large numbers as water and grazing lands completely dry up. In Somalia alone, an estimated 1.4 million livestock died in 2025, with another 2.5 million at risk. In Kenya’s northern counties, animal deaths from starvation and disease are rising while milk production has dropped by more than half, stripping families of their main source of food and income while in Ethiopia, poor rains have weakened livestock.
The deepening crisis is unfolding amid severe humanitarian funding gaps. In 2025, less than one-third of overall humanitarian requirements were met. In Somalia, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan received only 29 per cent of the required funding while the 2026 Plan has secured barely 13.4 per cent so far.
The drought unfolding across Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia highlights the increasing vulnerability of communities already living on the front lines of climate change.
According to Oxfam, without immediate action and sustained global support, the rising cost of water and deepening scarcity could push millions more people into a severe humanitarian emergency.
