WFP warns of food shortage for refugees in Kenya

The UN-World Food Programme on Friday warned that more than 435,000 refugees in Kenya face imminent food shortages if no funds are received.

Lauren Landis, WFP Kenya Country Director, said they need Sh6.3 billion to continue providing food and nutrition assistance to the country’s refugee population between January and June 2021.

“Without new funds, WFP will need to completely halt all cash transfers starting January and by March, will have fully depleted its food stocks. Most refugee families rely solely on WFP food to survive,” she said in a statement.

“WFP is facing a critical shortage of funds to finance food assistance to refugees living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps and in Kalobeyei settlement. We have exhausted all resources and are frankly faced with a life-threatening crisis.” 

The funding shortfall has forced WFP to cut full food rations by more than one-third as of last September, compromising refugees’ health and nutrition.

“We are appealing to our donors to quickly provide new resources to allow us to carry on providing food and cash to the refugees. A disruption of this magnitude to the life-saving refugee operation would be catastrophic,” Landis said.

The 40,000 refugees living in northwestern Kalobeyei settlement risk being the first hit as their WFP food is delivered purely in the form of cash transfers.

In Dadaab and Kakuma camps, WFP provides almost 400,000 refugees with cash and food, but cash covers about 60 per cent of staple cereals in their food basket.

Landis said a sharp reduction or complete stop in assistance could have far-reaching consequences on refugees’ health and nutrition as well as on stability and security in the camps and surrounding communities.

This follows other ration cuts over the past two years that have increased child and maternal malnutrition.

“Additional support is needed to support the host government and its goodwill and to not undermine developmental gains,” she said.