Kenya will pay US$32 million to 12 000 livestock farmers who have borne the brunt of the recurring drought in the Horn of Africa.

Local media reported that the payout was the biggest yet under the Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme (KLIP). With backing from Swiss Re, an international reinsurer for agriculture, KLIP is administered as a public private partnership (PPP) with the Kenyan government and a consortium of insurance companies.

“This is a way to ensure that pastoralist communities affected by drought continue to thrive and contribute to the collective future of our nation,” said Willy Bett, Cabinet Secretary for Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

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The payout is expected to be made by the end of February 2018.

Kenya developed KLIP, modeled after the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) Index-Based Livestock Insurance, which provides innovative financial solutions in protecting cattle farming against climate disruptions that pose a serious threat to the livelihoods of African herders and consumers.

The Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises in recent times due to a prolonged drought. In Kenya, more than 3 million people are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity.