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The number of people suffering from food insecurity in Kenya is expected to reach 4.35 million in October, compared to 4.1 million now, as drought worsens in many parts of the country, a government agency said.
The National Drought Management Authority said 23 counties in arid and semi-arid areas are facing severe drought, exacerbating water stress, hunger and malnutrition, Xinhua news agency reported.
The deteriorating food situation is attributed to the fourth consecutive failed monsoon season coupled with the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, desert locusts and the Covid-19 outbreak, the NDMA said in a statement on Sunday.
NDMA CEO Hared Hassan Adan said that in August alone, 95 percent of arid and semi-arid lands will be severely dry, putting pastoralists and farmers at risk of hunger and food shortages.
In Kenya’s northern arid regions, animal deaths have increased due to lack of pasture and water shortages, Hassan said, adding that the drought on the coast has not been spared.
According to the NDMA report, 884,464 children aged six to 59 months are severely malnourished and 115,725 pregnant and lactating mothers are severely malnourished in dry areas.
Declining milk production and rising grain prices have exacerbated the hunger crisis in the semi-arid region, and insufficient rainfall is expected from October to December.
He said the government has started animal husbandry, water monitoring, provision of animal fodder, additional nutrition for families and remittances to prevent the risk of drought in arid areas.
He added that the government has contributed an estimated 10 billion shillings to the drought-affected regions from several agencies and local charities.
— No matter
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(Only the title and image of this report may have been reproduced by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content was automatically generated from the syndicated feed.)
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