Kisumu: Kisumu County has launched an emergency operation to control an invasion of an estimated five million Quelea quelea birds that have descended on rice-growing schemes, threatening at least 800 acres of crop and raising fears over food security in the region. County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Kenneth Onyango, stated that the county acted quickly after receiving an alert last week, contacting the State Department for Agriculture and the Directorate of Plant Protection and Food Safety. These entities have since dispatched a team of crop protection officers to the affected areas.

According to Kenya News Agency, a surveillance report by the County Department of Agriculture revealed that the birds have established at least three major night roosts, with two confirmed in the Obange and Ambo areas of West Kano irrigation scheme in Nyando Sub-county. The roosts, located in dense reeds and papyrus vegetation, are hosting an estimated five million birds. The report indicates that about 800 acres of rice, most of it at panicle initiation and early harvesting stages, are under immediate threat, with farmers already reporting heavy losses.

Kenneth Onyango emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that this is the second invasion in three years. During the last invasion, the ministry employed drones to spray and scare the birds. Plans are currently underway to spray the identified roosting sites within the next one to two days, using drones as part of an integrated control strategy. Onyango assured that the coordinates of the roosts are known, and combining spraying with other methods will help reduce crop damage and losses.

Onyango also mentioned that the team from the State Department for Agriculture has brought the necessary pesticides, and spraying is expected to commence by tomorrow. He acknowledged the labor-intensive nature of scaring methods and reiterated the effectiveness of spraying. Onyango urged rice farmers to remain calm, assuring them that the county government is collaborating closely with the national government to address the crisis.

Hesbon Agina, a crop protection officer from the Directorate of Plant Protection and Food Safety, stated that the team is evaluating whether spraying could be done using motor vehicles with pumps or if aerial spraying would be necessary. The assessment will also consider additional measures, including technology-based scaring and other approved control methods, depending on the birds' movement and concentration.

Kisumu County Crop Protection Officer Thomas Oganda reported that the West Kano Irrigation Scheme is the most affected, with multiple blocks already experiencing damage. Other schemes, including Ahero in Muhoroni Sub-county, have also been impacted, although bird scaring is currently ongoing there. In Southwest Kano alone, 37 blocks covering about 3,500 acres have been affected, with birds migrating from other schemes such as Chiga in Kisumu East, where land preparation is ongoing.

Quelea quelea birds are notorious for their destructive feeding habits and have previously caused significant crop losses in the region, particularly in rice-growing schemes around Kano plains.