Less people exposed to food shortage

The number of Kenyans exposed to food shortage dropped by 40 per cent in the first half of the year on better climatic conditions, a UN report says.

Good short rains last year and the 2012 long rains cut the number of people exposed to drought from 3.7 million to 2.2 million between the last quarter of last year and this month.

However, the rising refugee numbers from Somalia and South Sudan is likely to lower the benefits.

The expected cases of acute malnutrition in 2012 also dropped to 331,118 from 385,000. Affected areas include North Eastern, upper eastern, upper Rift Valley, south eastern marginal agricultural zones and coastal zones.

Emergency response

“The positive impacts of the 2011 short rains season reduced the food-insecure population from 3.75 million to 2.2 million people currently needing food assistance,” said the Nairobi resident humanitarian coordinator Aeneas Chuma.

Assistance to refugees increased from Sh33.5 billion to Sh33.7 billion. The number of refugees entering Kenya has risen from 586,000 to 659,000 in both Dadaab and Kakuma, raising the number of those in need of aid.

This has prompted the Humanitarian Emergency Response Plan (EHRP) funded by the government, UN and NGOs to revise upwards earlier funding requests.

EHRP is asking for Sh65 billion up to the end of this year up from Sh63.3 billion in 2011. Food aid requirements increased by Sh4 billion to Sh20.1 billion.