Attachments
KEY MESSAGES
• At the time of the baseline data collection, the average household (HH) income was found to be Kenya shillings (Ksh) 5,169 compared to an average HH expenditure of Ksh 6,177. The average HH expenditure was higher by Ksh 1,008. The HHs were found to be indebted and may engage in asset-depleting strategies to access food and essential services.
• The proportion of HHs that were found to have an acceptable food consumption score (FCS) in Garissa County was 45% compared to 16% in Turkana County. The HHs lacked access to nutritional quality and dietary diversity. The food security status was thus found to be low at the time of the baseline data collection.
• A small proportion of HHs (7% in Garissa County and 3% in Turkana County) were found to meet all their basic needs at the time of the baseline data collection. The poor economic well-being implies that in the absence of a cash assistance, the HHs may engage in negative coping strategies to access food and essential services.
CONTEXT & RATIONALE
Garissa County has a projected population of 927,031.1 Frequent droughts and unreliable rains have not favoured agriculture and livestock rearing. The short rains of 2024 (October-November-December 2024) were spatially uneven and temporally poor, with the county averaging only three wet days in December 2024.2 The early cessation of rain limited grasslands and natural forage regeneration. The situation has been exacerbated by the prolonged drought over the years that has led to food insecurity. Turkana County is Kenya’s largest county by land area with a projected population of 1,022,773.3 The persistent drought spells over the years has left HHs grappling with food insecurity. The short rains of 2024 were below average, and the county remained fairly dry.4 The HHs in Garissa and Turkana counties have been left vulnerable, with acute food shortages and unstable livelihoods.