Highlights
- United Nations ERC/USG John Holmes ends his three-day mission to Kenya
- Logistics situation slowly getting back to normal
- Increasing dispatches from the port of Mombasa to neighbouring countries
Situation update
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes traveled on Saturday 9 February to Northern Rift Valley in western Kenya, to survey the humanitarian situation and speak directly to the people displaced by post-elections violence. In Nakuru Mr Holmes visited the Afraha Stadium and Nakuru Show ground camps, which host 11,000 IDPs from the area. In Molo, he visited two IDP settlements, one of which was a church, hosting hundreds of families.
During his Sunday 10 February visit to Tigoni and Kirathimo displacement camps and the Jamhuri Show Ground near Nairobi, Mr. Holmes met with the IDPs to discuss their concerns about their movements in and out of the camps and to different parts of Kenya.
Mr. Holmes also held talks with the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Moses Wetangula, and members of the Humanitarian Committee of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). In these meetings he called for a resolution of the political situation and emphasized that IDPs must return home on a voluntary basis. An agreement was reached with the Minister of Foreign Affairs that communities should be consulted on this matter.
Addressing the press on Sunday afternoon, Mr Holmes said that the immediate response by the Kenya Red Cross with help from the Government, NGOs and the international humanitarian community had been reasonably satisfactory and commendable. However, since the vast majority of IDPs will not be able to return home in the immediate future, the humanitarian community must plan for camps that will be needed for some months, until the problems are sorted out. He also reiterated the importance of taking into account the principle of voluntary movement of IDPs.
Humanitarian situation and response
Food
A joint team of WFP, UNICEF, and UNHCR, Catholic relief Services (CRS), Kenya Red Cross (KRC), World Vision International (WVI) and Mercy Corps is conducting a multi-sector assessment in North Rift. The assessment report indicates some common problems such as ration sharing with non-registered people and limited availability of firewood. IDP numbers in North Rift have been relatively stable and distributions are taking place as scheduled.
The food assistance sector in Kisumu is reviewing the targeting of the Kisumu slum population. Kisumu intends to earmark relief food to local, community based organisations active in the slums for some time. A draft plan is expected by Tuesday 12 February.
In the South Rift Valley the first round of food distributions have been completed. Over the weekend, 47 metric tons of food were provided for 19 IDP camps in Kipelion and Nakuru districts.
KRC and WFP have been conducting a joint assessment in all Districts in Central Province. The number of IDPs in most camps has been fluctuating and is likely to reduce in the coming days. Therefore, WFP will continue to support KRC and other partners in Central Province following a flexible distribution approach in view of the high fluidity of the situation.
Logistics
At the port of Mombasa, there are about 11,691 containers including 506 containers belonging to WFP. The dispatches from the port of Mombasa to neighbouring countries are increasing. Over the weekend, a total of 2,584 metric tons of food in 84 trucks were dispatched from Mombasa to different locations in Kenya and neighbouring countries. The logistics situation seems to be slowly getting back to normal.
Shelter
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and its local partners continue to assist tens of thousands of displaced Kenyans. To date, CRS has provided $300,000 worth of emergency supplies, primarily to Eldoret, where its activities have already assisted more than 40,000 people. This number will increase to more than 190,000 people across affected areas.
Water and sanitation
In coordination with United Nations agencies and the KRC, CRS' emergency response team staff helped build latrines, showers, and water and solid waste disposal systems at the main displacement camp in Eldoret, where more than 13,000 people are now living.
Health
WHO teams are present in Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu. In Eldoret, WHO is collaborating in an induction course for new recruits on nutritional assessment and the management of children and other vulnerable groups suffering from malnutrition. Plans for setting up therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres continue.
In Nakuru, health care staff not reporting to duty because of insecurity remains a major constraint.
Contact:
Nasser Ega-Musa/UNIC Nairobi
Tel: 254 735 232539 (Nasser.ega-musa@unon.org)
Jeanine Cooper/OCHA support to the UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator
Tel: 254 722 720 944 (jeanine.cooper@undp.org)
Inderpal Dhiman/ Assistant to the UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator
Tel: 254 727 400 545 (dhiman.inderpal@undp.org)