BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
USAID/OFDA's humanitarian assistance to Kenya has focused historically on short-term response to incidents of drought and floods, as well as episodes of civil unrest. Kenya experienced several seasons of failed rains in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006, causing widespread crop failure and water scarcity. Flooding in 1998,1999, 2003, and 2007 destroyed crops and farmland, damaged roads and infrastructure, and limited the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected areas. Cumulatively, the intermittent crises have exacerbated vulnerabilities arising from interethnic conflicts over land, scarce water, and pasture resources.
Kenya has experienced incidents of civil and political unrest, most recently in December 2007 as disputed presidential elections sparked a new wave of violence across Nairobi and areas of Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza, and Coast provinces. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in mid-January, the conflict has resulted in more than 500 deaths, the displacement of approximately 250,000 people, damage to homes and small businesses, and disruptions in commercial traffic. In response, USAID is providing a total of $5 million in humanitarian aid to support programs related to health; shelter; logistics and relief commodities; protection; humanitarian coordination and information management; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
USG(1) Humanitarian Assistance to Kenya (Fiscal Years 1997–2007)(2), in Millions
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
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2000
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2001
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
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2006
|
2007
|
|
|
OFDA
|
$1.86
|
$6.04
|
$1.11
|
$5.70
|
$5.93
|
$1.49
|
$0.18
|
$0.30
|
$2.23
|
$5.63
|
$1.36
|
|
FFP(3)
|
$9.27
|
$16.63
|
$4.55
|
$22.80
|
$38.74
|
$4.67
|
$12.09
|
$30.95
|
$34.89
|
$82.40
|
$80.87
|
|
Other USG(4)
|
$70.74
|
$56.36
|
$21.06
|
$11.47
|
$2.43
|
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TOTAL
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$11.13
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$22.66
|
$5.66
|
$99.24
|
$101.02
|
$27.22
|
$12.27
|
$31.25
|
$37.12
|
$99.50
|
$84.66
|
Since 1997, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly $32 million in humanitarian assistance to Kenya. More than half of this aid has focused on emergency WASH services, while additional humanitarian programs have addressed health, nutrition, and agriculture and food security needs In response to recurrent droughts and floods, USAID/OFDA implementing partners have rehabilitated water and sanitation facilities, assisted with livestock restocking, provided oral rehydration therapy and cholera medicines, supported cash-for-work programs and other livelihoods activities, and delivered emergency relief items to affected populations across the country.
In addition, USAID/OFDA disaster preparedness efforts emphasize building local capacity and strengthening the resilience of pastoral communities to market shocks. Ongoing USAID/OFDA-funded drought mitigation and preparedness programs focus on ensuring adequate water supply during periodic dry spells.
From 1997 to the present, USAID/FFP has provided more than 1 million metric tons (MT) of emergency and development food assistance to Kenya, valued at approximately $547 million. Of this assistance, USAID/FFP has allocated more than 620,000 MT of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance valued at nearly $400 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). This assistance supports drought-and flood-affected pastoralists and marginal farmers, as well as Somali and Sudanese refugees residing in camps in Kenya's north and northeastern districts. WFP, in consultation with USAID, is drawing on this contribution in response to the current emergency.
In FY 2008, USAID continues to monitor humanitarian conditions in Kenya and respond to evolving needs.
USAID/OFDA Non-Food Assistance to Kenya by Sector (Fiscal Years 2001–2008)(5)
Notes
(1) U.S. Government
(2) For Fiscal Year 2008 funding, please refer to USAID/OFDA Kenya Fact Sheets on the USAID web site at http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.
(3) USAID's Office of Food for Peace's funding only includes emergency food assistance. USAID/FFP allocates additional food commodities and funds for development activities in Kenya.
(4) Other USG assistance can include humanitarian aid from USAID's Bureau for Africa, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
(5) Approximate percentage of assistance by sector, as of January 17, 2008.