Logo

1 of 7
A local farmer in Kenya runs through a swarm of locusts.
A local farmer in Kenya runs through a swarm of locusts.DAI KUROKAWA/EPA-EFE/REX
Kenya locusts
A desert locust sits on a maize plant on Friday.AP
Advertisement
Swarms of desert locusts fly up into the air from crops in Katitika village, Kitui county, Kenya.
Swarms of desert locusts fly up into the air from crops in Katitika village, Kitui county, Kenya.AP
Kenya locusts
Hundreds of millions of locusts have entered Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia.AP
locust Kenya
The locust outbreak is the worst one in 70 years for Kenya.AP
Advertisement

Aerial spraying to beat back a plague of locusts swarming across Kenya will cost $70 million, the UN estimates.

Millions of the insects have invaded the East African nation from Somalia and Ethiopia, devouring farmland and just about anything else in their path.

The locust outbreak is the worst in 70 years for Kenya.

“Even cows are wondering what is happening,” Ndunda Makanga, a local farmer told the Associated Press. “Corn, sorghum, cowpeas, they have eaten everything.”

The scourge has been exacerbated by climate change, which has brought rising temperatures and more rain to the region.

The price tag for the spraying comes from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, which leads international efforts to fight hunger.

A single swarm — up to 150 million insects — can consume enough food to feed 35,000 people.

Kenya has four planes now flying to spread pesticides but needs more spraying equipment as well as more chemicals, the nation’s agriculture officials said.

The insects are now heading toward South Sudan and Uganda, which is already on alert.

With Post wires

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy