Economy

Number of starving Kenyans to hit 4m by April

drought

The drought, which has hit large parts of northern Kenya, Coast and Eastern, is particularly expected to push up the cost of food. PHOTO | FILE

The number of Kenyans facing famine across the country is set hit four million by April, the Council of Governors has projected.

CoG chairman Peter Munya on Monday said the need to address the drought situation especially in the hard hit arid and semi-arid areas is increasing by the day, calling for more interventions.

Mr Munya said that the CoG and the Kenya Red Cross (KRC) have jointly appealed for Sh1 billion to intervene and support the affected people, estimated to be more than 2.7 million as of February.

“The county governments will each donate Sh1 million to be channeled to the Red Cross Drought Fund through the CoG. Governors will also contribute personally to the kitty,” said Mr Munya.

“The targeted number of people who need assistance was 1.3 million Kenyans as from August last year, a number expected to reach four million by April, 2017.”

Mr Munya was speaking while addressing media at the CoG headquarters in Westlands, Nairobi. He said that they chose KRC because of its effectiveness in mitigating crisis.

The drought, which has hit large parts of northern Kenya, Coast and Eastern, is particularly expected to push up the cost of food, water and electricity — reducing the purchasing power of low-income households.

The National Treasury had earlier said that it would release Sh16 billion between February and July, in a bid to alleviate deaths of human beings and animals occasioned by the ongoing drought.

Devolution and Planning secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said the government will release Sh9 billion between February and April in the second phase of response to drought while and an additional Sh7 billion will be availed between May and July.

The government released Sh5.4 billion in the first phase of this programme and the funds were to run up to the end of last January.

The Devolution ministry has so far distributed food worth Sh824 million to the affected regions. Mr Munya said that they will adopt KRC’s cash transfer and food voucher system instead of donating maize to the people, who have serious nutritional problems.

“This method is more dignified, cheaper and more effective way of helping the affected instead of having them queue for food rations,” he said.