Kenya: UN, aid groups urge funds to address drought

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

The United Nations and humanitarian organizations on Thursday appealed for $106 million to help alleviate the worsening drought situation in northern Kenya.

In a statement, the UN called on international donors to scale up their response, and for the agencies to be in a position to provide urgent life-saving food to those who are most affected, namely nomadic pastoralists.

Siddharth Chatterjee, UN resident coordinator in the East African nation, said: “We as the UN family and the humanitarian community stand with the government and people of Kenya to address the devastating effects of the drought on some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.

“Today, we are appealing to the international community to step up its support to Kenya by pledging additional resources to bolster our relief efforts in the critical months ahead.”

According to the UN, there are an estimated 5.6 million people affected by the drought in Kenya, with 3.4 million people food insecure, 2.6 million people facing severe food insecurity, and half-a-million others at the emergency level.

Chatterjee says that aside from drought, water shortages and disease outbreaks have exacerbated the impact on those already facing hunger and malnutrition, and livelihoods have been further compromised by an infestation of Fall Army Worm.

“We urgently need funding to step up the response and prevent a further deterioration in the situation.”