Some three to four million Kenyans face hunger next year due to the severe drought, a food security alert report has said.
The Famine Early Warning System Network has predicted that more Kenyans will be in need of food aid in 2022.
The Kenya food security alert report released last week shows that the number of Kenyans in need of food aid could increase from the current 2.4 million people to three to four million people next year.
The report raised concern that food insecurity will increase in severity and scale in 2022, with the elevated likelihood of a fourth consecutive below-average season during the March to May 2022 long rains.
"Large-scale humanitarian assistance and livelihoods support are urgently required to cover current needs in northern and eastern Kenya. The assistance should be sustained throughout 2022,” the report shows.
The early warning report says the October to December short rains have largely failed, marking the third consecutive below-average season across pastoral and marginal agricultural areas of eastern and northern Kenya.
Cyrus Oguna, the government spokesperson said since October, Sh2.4 billion has been provided for drought intervention including cash transfer, water trucking and livestock offtake.
“The unique thing about the livestock programme is that the government will buy each animal at Sh15,000 and the meat will be given back to the community as part of the drought intervention,” Oguna said.
In October, United Nations-Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 28,000 people received food and livelihood assistance.
In the same month the government reported distributing around 12.46 metric tonnes of food and purchased over 8,000 head of cattle from farmers as part of an offtake programme.
Additionally, around 100,000 households enrolled in Hunger Safety Net Programme in Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir and Mandera continue to receive Sh5,400 every two months.
Oguna said plans are underway for more significant assistance in the coming months, including an emergency relief cash transfer programme through the Kenyan government. About 360,696 households will receive Sh3,000 monthly.
“The government also signed an agreement with the Kenya Red Cross Society to purchase and slaughter more than 75,000 weak livestock and to distribute the meat as relief food to over 766,000 households,” he said.
The report calls for immediate action across northern and eastern Kenya in order to prevent widespread acute food insecurity.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
