This archive report was first published on 29 August 2019.
Kenya is facing a severe drought that has put over 2.5 million people at risk of starvation, according to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). The agency's latest report warns that the number of people facing acute food shortages has increased to 2.6 million, up from 1.6 million in May 2019.
The number of people in need of relief assistance has more than doubled from 1.1 million in February 2019, with a warning that the figures could rise to above three million by October. The most affected counties are Turkana, Mandera, Baringo, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, and Tana River, where residents are predominantly herders.
NDMA also warned that the number of households in dire need of food has been rising steadily since August 2018, with the situation worsening in July this year. The assessment, the Acute Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), was conducted between June 1 and 19, this year in 23 arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties.
Prices of staple foods have increased in the affected counties from about 10 to 40 percent between April and July, attributed to a decrease in supplies as stocks held by various actors locally declined following below-average 2018 short rains harvests and reduced imports from Tanzania and Uganda.
However, the Authority said the government has set up a Drought Command Centre and developed a comprehensive drought response plan covering the whole country as state agencies continue to monitor how the October-December rainfall season will perform.
