Kenya is among countries set to benefit from a $2.3 billion (ShSh271 billion) World Bank food security programme.
The programme targets countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to help them increase food systems resilience.
With a total financing package of $788.10 million (Sh92 billion) the initial phase of the programme is expected to benefit 2.3 million people in the region.
The World Health Organisation this week said about 3.5 million people in Kenya face food insecurity due to severe drought.
The country has experienced four consecutive failed rainy seasons adding to the already dire conditions.
Food insecurity and high cost of living been of concern in the past months with concerns that the situation worsen.
Extreme weather, pest and disease outbreaks, political and market instability, and conflict have brought on food system shocks in recent times.
The war in Ukraine is further exacerbating these effects by disrupting the global food, fuel, and fertiliser markets.
The World Bank projects 66.4 million people in the region could experience food stress, food crisis, emergency, or famine by July 2022.
"To address these risks, the Food Systems Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa (FSRP) will enhance inter-agency food crisis response strategies," World Bank vice president for Eastern and Southern Africa Hafez Ghanem said.
The programme also involves strengthening early warning systems and rapid response planning, emergency support to producers, emergency trade measures, and emergency food reserves.
Ghanem said this is the first regional and multi-sectoral operation focusing on reducing the number of food insecure people in Eastern and Southern Africa by increasing the food system resilience.
Ethiopia, where up to 22.7 million people are food insecure due to the most severe drought the country has ever faced will also benefit.
In Madagascar, 7.8 million people are facing acute food insecurity because of historic droughts in the South of the country. The country will be targeted in the first phase of the project.
