ABSTRACT Drought with increased frequency of occurrence and prolonged duration has been the most devastating problem of Shinile pastoral community that seriously affected the rangeland, traditional coping strategies and social capital of the community. The aim was to study Emergency Response Constraints in Saving Lives & Livelihood of Pastoral Households in Shinile Woreda of Sitti Zone in Somali Regional State. The nature of the study required qualitative research. The process of research involves emerging questions and procedures, data typically collected in the participant’s setting, data analysis inductively building from particulars to general themes, and the researcher making interpretations of the meaning of the data. Sample size of 50 individuals from 3 sample kebeles of Shinile woreda and 7 partiner organisations, using focus group discussions, in-depth individual, and group interview, participatory observation. The predictions about the impact of the 2015/16 drought in Shinile woreda was clear, and unfortunately, much of what has happened was preventable. The scale of death and suffering and the financial cost could have been reduced if early warning systems had triggered an earlier intervention. The major Emergency interventions implemented in response to the drought in 2015 have found to be relevant in mitigating the impact of the drought. However, the community indicated their grievance on package contents such as the type of food aid delivered and timing of the response delivery. Very little has been done to address the root cause of the problems based on the context of the pastoral livelihood system. Therefore, development intervention in the region in general and Shinile woreda, in particular, need more pastoral livelihood and production system centered strategies that lead to the viability of the system in a sustainable manner. Early response is more likely when there are clear links with those directly affected and Decision makers must understand and make explicit the consequences. Communities can also be excellent sources for improving response following an emergency. While the response is still fresh in people’s minds, it is important to discuss and document lessons learned—including what happened good and bad and what could be done to lessen the effects in the future. Key words: Emergency Response, Livelihood, pastoral households, Shinile woreda, Etiopian Somali Region