Attachments
Key Messages
• The first weeks of 2026 have shown an alarming situation unfolding in parts of Kenya as drought conditions intensify. While the 2024 short rains already underperformed and limited recovery in the Arid and Semi-Arid (ASALs), the 2025 short rains were reportedly poorer in both amount and distribution,1 further constraining water availability, pasture regeneration, and crop production. The updated food security and nutrition classifications and projections from the latest IPC workshop - which took place in early February - are due to be published in the coming weeks. Forecasts of below-average rainfall and persistent livelihood pressures suggest a likely deterioration in acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition, potentially similar to 2022 drought conditions.
• According to FEWS NET, approximately 3.5 million people in Kenya are in need of humanitarian food assistance, 2 up from 2.2 million people in 2025.3 This sharp deterioration is largely attributed to the failure of the short rains season, which resulted in poor pasture and water recharge, reduced crop production, and declining livestock productivity.
• Despite intensifying drought impacts, the humanitarian response is increasingly constrained due to a decline in funding. As a result, assistance in vulnerable counties has declined, leaving affected populations more exposed to ongoing climatic shocks. The Kenyan government has appealed for approximately KES 13 billion to address the food security crisis affecting millions of people across the country.