• Pastoralist counties like Turkana and Isiolo had the highest increase where the population in need almost doubled.
• The increase in numbers is attributed to below normal performance of the October to December short rains that worsened an already fragile food security situation in ASALs.
Image: FILE
The number of people facing acute hunger in the country now stands at 1.4 million, an increase from 739,000 reported during the 2020 long rains assessment.
The number of people needing immediate humanitarian assistance in Asal areas has increased by 90 per cent over the last 12 months.
According to the 2020 short rains assessment report by Kenya Food Security Steering Group, out of 1.4 million facing food shortages, about 238,000 people are in the emergency phase across eight counties—Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and Isiolo.
Pastoralist counties like Turkana and Isiolo had the highest increase where the population in need almost doubled.
The increase in numbers is attributed to the below-normal performance of the October to December short rains that worsened an already fragile food security situation in Asal areas.
The National Drought Management Authority reckons the situation is expected to further deteriorate during the March-May long rains season with about two million people likely to experience acute food insecurity.
The survey further indicates that Lamu, Kwale and Kilifi in the coastal marginal agriculture zones had the highest increase of people in the Integrated Phase Classification 3 used for analysis recording, also posted double the numbers that had been established under this category during the long rains assessment in August 2020.
Other counties—including Makueni, Kitui, Tharaka Nithi, Meru (Meru North)—that had minimal people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance during the LRA have equally recorded significant numbers during the current assessment.
NDMA warns that with the performance of the 2021 long-rains season (March-May) forecasted to be poor, this situation will most likely worsen and these numbers may increase towards August.
According to the report, the pastoral counties experienced a deterioration in food security situation owing to the lingering impact of the desert locust and Covid-19 control measures alongside below-average short rains.
NDMA further says that the food security prognosis between March and August this year will see pastoral areas experience reduction in forage and water resources, thus driving early livestock migration to dry season grazing areas and reducing milk availability
At the household level, there will be an increase in acute malnutrition in children under five years of age remaining at the 'critical' phase, which is 15–29.9 per cent across all pastoral areas apart from Moyale and Saku subcounties in Marsabit, which will be at the ‘alert’ stage at five to 9.9 per cent.
The survey covered the 23 counties that comprise the ASAL region of Kenya, and whose population generally is the most food-insecure given their high levels of poverty, high vulnerability to shock and hazards, and the aridity and rainfall variability of the areas.
The study involved the collection of both primary and secondary data with the principal sources being, the NDMA’s drought early warning and monitoring system and data collection from relevant sectors at the county and subcounty levels.