Over 4 million Kenyans in arid areas in need of food assistance: report

NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua)

The number of Kenyans in need of food assistance in arid areas stands at 4.4 million as the regions grapple with a time lag between drought recovery and food availability, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said in a report released on Monday.

The NDMA noted that the lag has continued to expose hundreds of residents to malnutrition.

"People in need of assistance stand at 4.4 million following a food security assessment," the agency said in the report released in the capital Nairobi.

Additionally, NDMA noted that rains in most of the arid areas led to flash floods, which had negative impacts on the local livelihoods.

It said the food situation may not improve much in the areas since an analysis of the rainfall performance indicated that several parts of the arid regions received less than normal amounts of rainfall ranging from 75 mm to 11 mm. 

Besides that, most cattle were affected by a number of diseases namely Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Peste des petits ruminants, hand, foot and mouth diseases, NDMA said.

The high number of affected animals coupled with poor pasture conditions have exposed children to malnutrition due to a decrease in milk production that led to reduced consumption at the household level.

Kenya's arid areas have experienced drought for over a year following failed rains in four seasons.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Kenya is among the countries in the Horn of Africa that is currently grappling with the combined effect of drought and floods, which are devastating people's lives and livelihoods. The others are Ethiopia and Somalia.