The national government intends to spend more than Sh16 billion to mitigate effects of the ongoing drought in the next six months.
Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said the government was partnering with the United Kigdom Department for International Development to conduct bimonthly regular cash transfer to 97,000 households in four most vulnerable Counties of Garrissa, Mandera, Wajir and Turkana, given that the situation is worsening.
"As the government continues to monitor the situation, measures are in place to provide affected Kenyans with necessary assistance,'' he said.
The first three-phase programme would cost a total of Sh21.6 billion. Mitigation efforts from November 2016 to January 2017 would cost Sh5.4 billion; February to April would cost Sh9.2 billion while Sh7 billion would be used in the last phase of May to July 2017.
In October 2016, only five Counties had been affected by drought according to the CS.
"The impact of the drought is worsening,11 counties are adversely affected following the failure of the short rains,'' said Kiunjuri.
Briefing the press Thursday afternoon on food security, at the Treasury headquarters, Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said Climatic change was becoming a reality and was no longer a hoax as some believed.
He said some of the rivers, water pans and dams had already dried up while population increases each day, a move that demands a quick response.
"Some of our water resources are drying up and we've to ensure we have more dams and storage capacity,'' said Wamalwa.
This comes after the National Drought Management Authority issued an alert of prolonged drought, saying the situation might worsen than that experienced in 2011.
The Authority asked National and County governments and stakeholders, to come up with proper measures to salvage the affected populations, in the greatly affected 23 counties.