UN in Sh6.5bn food appeal for Kenya

The United Nations has launched a Sh6.5-billion emergency food appeal to help the more than 2.3 million people affected by drought in Kenya.

The appeal was made yesterday through the World Food Programme (WFP) to boost President Mwai Kibaki's recent call for international aid.

The appeal came as parliamentary Speaker Francis ole Kaparo handed over a cheque of Sh12.7 million donated by the 224 MPs to boost the famine fund.

The Speaker handed the donation to the minister of State in Office of the President in charge of Special Programmes, Mr Njenga Karume, at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi.

Meanwhile, first consignment of relief supplies from the Save-a-Life Fund left Nairobi yesterday. the food will be distributed in the worst-hit areas, including Garissa District.

The food included 10,350 kilogrammes of maize flour, 40 bags of beans; 1,125 litres of cooking oil, 1,500 litres of powdered milk and 3,000 of lime juice.

The convoy carrying the consignment was flagged off by officials of the Kenya Red Cross Society and two of the joint promoters of the fund – East African Breweries Ltd and Nation media Group, at the society's offices.

The WFP appeal appeal was made by country director Tesema Negash.

President Kibaki declared famine a national disaster on July 14. The President requested emergency aid until end of January, next year, for people struggling with food shortages in Coast, Eastern, North Eastern and Rift Valley provinces.

"You only have to visit these parts of Kenya to see with your own eyes how in many cases the maize crop has wilted under the sun after the failure of the long rains in May this year - it is now essentially useless. People are struggling to provide enough food for their families," said Mr Negash.

The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. In 2003, it gave food aid to some 104 million people in 81 countries, including 56 million children.

The last WFP emergency operation in Kenya ran from March 2000 to October 2002, during one of the country's worst droughts in 40 years. At its height in 2001, the organisation supplied food to 4.4 million people, including one million school children.

Before President Kibaki’s appeal, WFP and other aid agencies had scaled up their programmes in the worst-affected districts, including Marsabit in the north.

A statement issued by Mr Negash said that though the Government had also been distributing food in many areas, its resources were running out.

The WFP said its was appealing for assistance to 1.8 million people affected by the drought as well as over half a million vulnerable children.

"We are facing a crisis on a massive scale which will spiral out of control at great human cost if we do not act now," said the statement. "For many Kenyans, two poor seasons in a row will spell disaster if they do not receive assistance on time."

WFP said that under the emergency operation, its school feeding programme would be expanded from the one million primary and pre-primary children to include another 544,000 pupils in arid and semi-arid areas.

The statement detailed the food crisis in various parts of the country due to the long drought.

This year’s long rains were poor in much of eastern and southern Kenya and in some northern areas. A dry spell, from late April to May, came at a critical stage in the crop development, the organisation said.

Scattered showers in early June were too late for a significant recovery, resulting in near-total crop failures in many parts of Coast and Eastern provinces.

Pasture and grazing are already poor in much of North Eastern province and parts of Rift Valley.

"If the short rains are poor later in the year, an additional one million people will require food assistance in 2005, bringing the total needing food assistance in Kenya in 2005 to 3.3 million," the statement said.

Grain prices have almost doubled in most parts of the country while livestock prices have declined significantly.

People are increasingly producing charcoal and firewood to raise money for food. There are also unusually high sales of breeding stocks of cattle, sheep and goats.

Many people are missing out on meals to preserve food stocks and children are skipping school to assist their parents in the hunt for food. Wild animals are also leaving their game-park homes because of a shortage of water and damaging vital crops.

The numbers in need of assistance are based on assessments by the Kenya Food Security Meeting, which consists of government ministries, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations and donors.

Yesterday, Agriculture minister Kipruto Kirwa said his ministry would give preference to importers who quoted competitive prices, and showed ability to deliver at short notice.

Those supposed to import grain have up to September 30, after which no more grains will be imported.

"Once the government attains the figure to deal with the drought, the doors will be locked" Mr Kirwa said.

Source: The Daily Nation
Story by NATION Team
Publication Date: 8 August 2004