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Kenya

1.6m face starvation, warns Waiguru

In Summary

  • The 2015 Food Security Assessment Report lists Garissa, Marsabit, Wajir and Isiolo counties as the worst affected by hunger, and they have been classified as “alarm drought status.”

  • Earlier, Ms Waiguru opened an Asal stakeholders’ forum at Kenyatta University to discuss, among other things, the transformation of Asal’s into food secure regions.

  • The report warns that the situation in the worst affected counties is likely to deteriorate into emergency status if nothing is done to alleviate the situation

By JACQUELINE KUBANIA

Over 1.6 million Kenyans are in danger of starvation if they do not receive immediate food assistance for the next six months, a report released on Tuesday revealed.

The 2015 Food Security Assessment Report lists Garissa, Marsabit, Wajir and Isiolo counties as the worst affected by hunger, and they have been classified as “alarm drought status.”

Nineteen other counties are classified as “alert drought status”. Drought classification measures the seriousness of food scarcity. The classification starts from normal, graduates to alert, then alarm and the worst is emergency.

“We have not recorded any deaths so far and that is why we are moving quickly to prevent any county or region from reaching emergency drought status which may be characterized by deaths of people,” said Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru during the release of the report at her office in Nairobi.

She added that the government has set aside Sh3 billion to address the drought situation in the country.

“The ministry will continue to provide monthly relief food to counties that are food insecure. In addition, the Hunger Safety Net Programme at the ministry will provide cash transfers of Sh2,450 per month to 70,304 of the most food insecure households in Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit and Turkana,” said Ms Waiguru.

CONTINGENCY PLANS

Other interventions include a cash disbursement of Sh279 million from the Drought Contingency Fund to 16 counties to implement their county contingency plans, and an initiative by the government and the World Food Programme to provide food or cash to 691,800 beneficiaries in 13 counties.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture has been asked to ensure that all National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (Asal) are stocked with maize.

Earlier, Ms Waiguru opened an Asal stakeholders’ forum at Kenyatta University to discuss, among other things, the transformation of Asal’s into food secure regions.

“Asal counties have historically lagged behind in development, prompting the government to make targeted policies to deal with the unique challenges of these regions. There is a need to adopt a holistic approach to support development and improve livelihoods by building adaptable measures and reducing their vulnerability to environmental shocks,” said Ms Waiguru.

The food security assessment report was carried out between January 26th and February 6th 2015 in 23 arid counties. It assessed the short rains of October to December 2014 and found that they were far from adequate, adversely affecting arid and semi-arid regions of the country.

NEGATIVE EFFECT

“The 2014 short rains were 50 per cent or less of the normal amount. The previous two seasons had also performed poorly, creating a cumulative negative effect,” stated the report.

It also detailed a 60 per cent crop failure in Kitui, Makueni, Meru North, Embu and Tharaka Nithi. Also affected were the crop growing areas of Kajiado and Baringo where maize production was 50 per cent below average.

Milk production has also reduced by as much as 60-80 per cent in Garisa, Wajir, Isiolo and Marsabit counties since October 2014. This led to a corresponding increase of between 70-120 per cent in the price of milk between November 2014 and January 2015, resulting in reduced milk consumption in households.

The report warns that the situation in the worst affected counties is likely to deteriorate into emergency status if nothing is done to alleviate the situation.

The drought prognosis from February to early April is poor for arid areas.

The report warns that shortage of water might force residents to take contaminated water, aggravating the current cholera outbreak.

The price of cereals is expected to go up due to low production as well as a decrease in the availability of milk, which might cause malnutrition in children under five.