Kenya drought response receives $13.5 million CERF allocation

[Photo: UNICEF]

18 July 2010: $13.5 million is being provided by the CERF to address the humanitarian consequences of severe drought in northern, eastern and south-eastern parts of Kenya. Some three million Kenyans are estimated to have been affected by extremely low rainfall, with reports of drastic increases in malnutrition levels and reduced availability of safe water. Fragile health systems have been overwhelmed, and disease outbreaks are putting vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women at major risk. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) has received $6.6 million to distribute emergency food in the worst-affected areas, while also targeting vulnerable groups suffering from malnutrition such as children under five. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been provided with $3.8 million to launch an emergency health campaign and emergency nutrition support for vulnerable children and pregnant women. The CERF is also enabling UNICEF to provide safe water, as well as sanitation and hygiene support, for more than 250,000 people. $2.1 million has been allocated to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and $400,000 to International Organization for Migration (IOM) to strengthen food security by protecting critical livestock and distributing seeds. The World Health Organization (WHO) meanwhile has received $535,000 to improve primary health care and establish an early warning system for disease outbreaks in drought-affected areas.

About $3.1 million has also been made available from the CERF to provide humanitarian assistance for refugees arriving at three refugee camps in Dadaab in north-eastern Kenya. More than 200,000 refugees have arrived at the camps over the past four years, mainly from drought-stricken areas of Somalia. The camps have nearly doubled in size during this time and have become severely overcrowded. 

Updated on 26 July 2011

CERF allocates $6 million to Kenya for its underfunded humanitarian programmes

14 March 2011: In response to drought conditions and the needs of refugees from neighbouring countries residing in camps in the country, CERF has allocated some $6 million for humanitarian response in Kenya.

The World Food Programme (WFP) will receive some $4 million to continue providing food assistance to Somali and Sudanese refugees in Kenya. Some $1 million has been allocated to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in Kakuma refugee camp in the north-western region of the country. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will receive some $700,000 to provide support to pastoral and agro-pastoral communities affected by drought. Some $180,000 has been allocated to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for emergency livestock support to refugee-hosting communities in northwest Kenya. Finally, the World Health Organization (WHO) will use some $150,000 to coordinate emergency health response for refugees in six health districts across the country.

Kenya is facing humanitarian challenges triggered by several shocks including drought, floods, livestock and human diseases, heightened food prices, increased refugee influx from Somalia and inter-communal conflict triggered by dwindling resources such as pasture and water. 

The La Nina dry weather conditions of October to December 2010 are affecting food security in the northern and eastern parts of the country. According to the 2010 Long Rains Assessment carried out in August 2010, 1.2 million people are food insecure. This number is expected to increase in light of continued expected dry conditions. Drought conditions have triggered livestock migration to neighbouring countries due to deterioration of grazing resources in Kenya, upsurge of livestock disease and conflicts over water.

Communities hosting refugees from Somalia and other neighbouring countries also face humanitarian challenges due to depletion and overuse of natural resources, overcrowding of refugee camps, and deplorable conditions such as poor shelter and sanitation in the outskirts of camps. Although the border is officially closed, Somali refugees continue to find their way into refugee camps such as Dabaab, which is one of the biggest in the world, where health and nutrition are serious concerns.

[Last updated: 05 May 2011]

CERF in Kenya 2010
CERF in Kenya 2009
CERF in Kenya 2008
CERF in Kenya 2007
CERF in Kenya 2006