Location of operation: KENYA
Amount of Decision: EUR 2,000,000
Decision reference number: ECHO/KEN/BUD/2005/01000
Explanatory Memorandum
1 - Rationale, needs and target population.
1.1. - Rationale
Kenya is one of the poorest countries in the world and it ranks 154th out of 177 in the 2005 UNDP HDI ranking. The percentage of Kenyans living below the poverty line is 57% (1). The level of poverty and unemployment, as a result of the disregard for maintaining, supporting and improving basic social infrastructure, has left the northern and north-eastern border areas of Kenya (known as the northern "frontier" lands bordering Somalia to the East, Ethiopia to the North and Uganda to the West) vulnerable to crime and insecurity. Key natural resources have not been well managed for the benefit of the community as a whole. Rather the control and access to these resources (pastures, water and business opportunities and interests) are often used as exclusionary zones to block and deny access to rival clans for the self-serving or survival interests of the controlling clan or tribe. This is complicated with the political stakes in controlling an area and its resources.
The above mentioned issues have been set against a back drop of worsening climate change affecting the arid and semi arid lands of the region, and an increasing demographic pressure being applied by a growing essentially pastoral population. These two issues are forcing communities to compete with each other for essential resources, as they all depend on access to water and pastures. The effect this is having on an already fragile pastoral environment is leading to ever growing and increasing cycles of violence and interethnic tribal conflict. To date over 60% of the 12 million pastoralists and agro-pastoralist population in the area Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) are living below the poverty line. The communities residing there are suffering from a level of regular internal displacement and casualties as a result of sporadic low intensity tribal clashes, which are not normally associated with a country at peace.
The growing number and worsening nature of casualties is cause for concern, as recently witnessed early on in the year in Marsabit and El Wak. Both of these towns are located in the North of Kenya. In March this year, the Borana (who have strong links to the Oromo Liberation Front in Ethiopia, and are often accused of providing the OLF with back-stopping support) clashed with the Gabra (which are a sub clan of the Borana). Both these clans are very antagonistic towards each other and compete for grazing pastures and access to water holes. The clashes earlier this year left 100 people dead, and over 6,500 internally displaced. In July this year, fresh fighting broke out between the Somali clans of the Garre and the Marehan Somali. The Marehan reportedly invaded El Wak in Somalia (aka Bur Hache) and attacked the Garre clan for control of the town. The death toll reached 65 and resulted in between 17,000 - 27,000 refugees/asylum seekers entering Kenya. These people refuse to be recognised as refugees as it implies being accommodated officially by UNHCR into the existing more long-standing refugee camp of Dadaab.
The ongoing protracted instability and conflict in Somalia, has also led to a sizeable internal displacement of its population, which has resulted in various destabilising flows of IDPs and refugees into Kenya. Added to these communities are outside members of local clans, that are often better armed, who have less of a stake in any existing local peace and stability and often aggravate ethnic tensions.
The World Bank launched in 2004 the second 5 year phase in support of the 'Arid Lands Resources Management Project (ALRMP)' for 60 M$. This is targeting support to address the carrying capacity and management of land resources. The EC (DGs DEV and AIDCO) is currently going through the process of allocating 4.6 M EUR from the B envelope of the 9th European Development Fund to pilot a 3 year management of the "Drought Contingency Fund" that is being established with the Government of Kenya (GoK), World Bank and other donors, to provide crisis mitigation.
However, despite the above mentioned support in favour of mitigating the effects of drought on agro-pastoralist communities in Kenya, human vulnerability as a result of low levels of protection requires immediate attention in order to alleviate human suffering. The present funding decision will address the situation related to nutrition, water and sanitation, protection needs which would compliment ongoing and planned assistance.
1.2. - Identified needs :
Nutrition: In the district of Mandera, the March 2005 nutritional surveillance data showed that the levels of global acute and severe malnutrition (GAM and SAM) were very high, at 26% and 3.5% respectively. In Wajir, data from the recent October nutritional surveillance has identified a GAM of 29.8 % and SAM of 4.8%. The situation as described in the northern and north-eastern areas of Kenya, has notably contributed to sustaining a chronic GAM rate that remains between 26-27% (2) in children under 5. It must be noted that these figures represent an average and differences are wide-ranging, between 20-35%. These rates are particularly alarming, and imply that approx. 40% of all under 5s are acutely malnourished. The standard international benchmark for emergency intervention is between 10-15% GAM. Even though now the data from nutritional surveys in some areas is somewhat slightly lower, they are still unacceptably high. There is significant support being provided to therapeutic feeding interventions by several donors, but there is no nutritional targeted food security support, which is essential in order to avoid relapse.
Unfortunately due to the weak health care coverage in the northern and northeastern areas, accurate mortality rate data is not available. However estimates are put at 1.7/10,000/day which is indicating a serious situation. Please note as an indicative situation, 61% of the Under 5 children surveyed were found to be suffering from illness, whether ARI (Acute Respiratory Infections), malaria or diarrhoea.
Previous efforts to sustain support to Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFCs) have not been sufficient on their own to address the root causes of the problem. It is envisaged that support could be targeted to malnourished communities with efforts focused on improving their level of food security and nutritional education complimenting the nutrition efforts of other donors in key areas where tribal clashes have been noted to be most prominent. This would be appropriate to ensure, to the extent that is possible, that some protection and mitigation could be afforded, with clear targeting in accordance with socio-economic vulnerability and criteria.
Water and sanitation: One of the key resources that are often a focus of interethnic tribal clashes is with regards to the access and use of water. The lack of water and a clean sanitary environment is also one of the main causes of high malnutrition, as it is not advisable to separate the interdependency between good nutrition and clean water. A far from optimal water supply is provided by existing wells and boreholes, increasing the vulnerability of the population. Approx. 60% (3) of the water wells in the North East of Kenya are operational. Typically, they have collapsed walls, are prone to siltation or are contaminated with dead animals. Furthermore, only 68% of boreholes are estimated to be operational.
It is envisaged that where recent tensions have been high, nutritional support can be complimented with food security efforts, as well as water and sanitation support and targeted as a means to improve some of the communal infrastructure that is available to these communities.
Protection: During many of the clashes and insecurity incidents in North and North East Kenya, the protection of women and children is a key issue demanding attention. In order to link into the network peace committees that exist in the northern regions of Kenya, protective drop-in centres with counselling support will be provided for women and children caught amidst the violence of interethnic clashes
Notes:
(1) GoK Economic Survey 2003.
(2) Kenya Long Rains assessment report August 2005 - Consolidated Inter-Agency Report - Kenyan Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG).
(3) OXFAM QUEBEC water source assessment and mapping.