REPUBLIC OF KENYA

THE PRESIDENCYMINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING

PRESS STATEMENT

UPDATE ON THE DROUGHT RELIEF INTERVENTIONS IN THE COUNTRY

Introduction

The 2013 short rains performed poorly as earlier forecasted by the Kenya Meteorological Services with early cessation recorded in most counties. However, field reports show that the food security situation is stable in medium to high rainfall areas except parts of Nyanza, Central and Coastal strip that experienced below normal long and short rains.

In the semi-arid areas, the poor short rains have resulted in below normal crop yield. At the same time, the water, pasture and livestock production are deteriorating. Currently, the drought situation is moderate but the trend is worsening.

In the arid areas, the situation varies from moderate to severe drought. The number of people affected by drought across the country is estimated at 1,684,202 most of them in ASAL Counties that include Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, Samburu, West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Tana River, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta among others. Pockets of high potential areas are also affected. To address this situation, the Ministry has so far distributed relief food as follows: 26,360 bags of maize, 22,927 bags of beans, 22,709 bags of rice, 6,031 cartons of cooking oil and 720 bales of Nutropap all valued at Ksh. 348,664,119.

The Situation in Turkana Turkana County has been the hardest hit by drought, as the performance of both long and short rains last year was poor both in spatial distribution and in volume. As a result, the pasture, water and food situation has deteriorated to acute vulnerability. The situation is further compounded

by the various incidents of inter-community conflicts in parts of the county, and the general high poverty levels. A total of 153,000 people are in need of food assistance in the County.

On-going interventions In Turkana

Due to the concern the government has on the effects of this situation on the lives and health of the Kenyans affected, several measures have been put in place to mitigate against these effects. These measures include the following:

1. The Ministry of Devolution and Planning has been providing relief food to the affected population in the county on a regular basis. In the month of January, the county has been given a total of 4,900 bags of maize, 2,100 bags of beans, 350 cartons of cooking oil and 140 bales of Nutropap all valued at Ksh. 26 million. Another consignment of food that includes 7,000 bags of rice, 3,500 bags of beans, and 700 cartons of cooking oil all valued at Ksh.63,034,300 will be dispatched to Turkana this week.

2. Through the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) that is jointly implemented by the Ministry and the World Food Programme, a total of 102,000 people in the county have continued to receive food every month.

3. Under the current phase of GoK/DFID Hunger Safety Net Programme 28,900 households (about 140,000 people) are receiving cash transfers of Ksh.3,500 every two months. In the second phase, this number is being up-scaled to 39,000 households each receiving Ksh 4,600.

4. The annual short rains food security assessment that is conducted by multi-agency and multi-sectoral teams, is set to begin next week in all arid and semi-arid counties. The assessment will determine the exact number of people affected by drought and required interventions (food and non-food).

5. In addition to these ongoing interventions, a sum of Ksh. 1.3 billion meant for relief programmes was devolved to counties this Financial Year. I therefore call upon the counties, to utilize these

funds to provide assistance to needy people in their respective counties.

6. Finally the Cabinet yesterday approved an addition KES 2.3 Billion to support the mitigation efforts caused by the drought in the country. The table below shows the breakdown by sector:

Table 1: Requirements for Drought Intervention by sector{budget (Kshs)}Sector Requirements Available

resources(including re-

allocation)

Additional Resources

approved by Cabinet

Relief food 1,768,433,622 350,000000 1,428,433,622Agriculture 103,518,000 103,518,000 0Livestock 600,000,000 0 600,000,000Education 404,945,590 404,945,590 0Health 190,506,000 5,000,000 185,506,000Security 36,870,000 0 36,870,000Drought coordination 27,677,000 6,831,000 20,846,000Environment 51,045,000 0 51,045,000Water 0 150,000,000 0Total 0 150000000 0

The government is taking all possible measures to ensure that the suffering and hardship caused by the effects of this drought is alleviated in the quickest manner possible so that those affected may return to normal life in the shortest time possible. Currently, there is a team led by the Principal Secretary Devolution, on the ground assessing the situation and the effectiveness of the measures that we are undertaking.

Anne Waiguru, OGW

CABINET SECRETARY