Armyworm Infests 10,000 Acres In Kisumu

Armyworm Infests 10,000 Acres In Kisumu.

Armyworm has destroyed over 10,000 acres of maize, sorghum, and pasture land in Kisumu County.

Farmers in all seven sub-counties, Muhoroni, Nyakach, Nyando, Kisumu East, Kisumu West, Seme, and Kisumu Central, are facing imminent hunger as a result of the food security situation.

This jolted the Kisumu County government into action, as they called an emergency meeting of sub-county administrators and agricultural specialists, including Kisumu County Chief Officer Dr Paul Omanga.

Mr Gilchrist Okuom, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, and Fisheries, told KNA that they have moved to raise awareness about the disaster among local farmers.

According to Okuom, the Armyworm invasion has affected the entire Western Kenya region with Muhoroni Sub County being the most affected.

According to him, the food security situation has also been jeopardized, so the county has had to take drastic measures to prevent the worms from spreading further.

“We call upon the national government to help spearhead mitigating measures that will require hefty spending in terms of resource mobilization from the national treasury and other development partners in the entire region,” he stated.

Dr. Omanga stated that they have begun measures to devise effective solutions to the African armyworm outbreak in Kisumu County and neighboring areas where the worms have destroyed crops and pasture land.

The Chief Officer urged farmers to take a leap of faith and purchase the necessary drugs from Agrovets rather than waiting for the government to act.

Dr. Omanga has warned that unless something is done quickly to contain the worms, Kisumu County will face famine as the cost of produce skyrockets.

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“This is why we are working on how to devise ways and means of working with our development partners even as we go about conducting training in all the wards teaching farmers on how best to counter worm attacks,” he explained.

He revealed that armyworms have infested more than 10,000 acres of maize, sorghum, and pasture land, forcing the county government to purchase chemicals and pesticides to help control the armyworms.

According to the Chief Officer, the invasion has had the greatest impact on more than 400,000 households in rural areas such as Muhoroni, Nyando, and Nyakach, among others.