Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 08 Sep 2017, 03:57 am Print
OCHA/Rita Maingi
“We as the UN family and the humanitarian community stand with the Government and people of Kenya to address the devastating effects of the drought on some of the country’s most vulnerable communities,” said Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, urging donors to pledge additional resources to support relief efforts in the critical months ahead.
A news release from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the previous appeal for Kenya, launched in March 2017, has been only 43 per cent funded. The revised appeal, which covers September to December 2017, complements the Government’s 13-month extended response plan.
However, the third phase of the Government’s response is likely to be delayed due to political developments, making the revised appeal even more critical.
“The Government of Kenya is doing its part with its resources stretched to breaking point. So should we,” said Chatterjee.
An estimated 5.6 million people have been affected by the drought, including 3.4 million people lacking enough food. Of them, 2.6 million people face severe food insecurity, including 500,000 experiencing ‘emergency’ levels of food insecurity.
A total of 369,277 children in the arid and semi-arid counties of Kenya now require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition, and, in the worst-affected counties, like Turkana South, the acute malnutrition rate is as high as 37 per cent, more than twice the emergency threshold of 15 per cent.
- World must ‘speed up’ efforts to end AIDS pandemic by 2030
- World Bank provides $700 million to improve primary education in Bangladesh
- Aid has not reached ‘a single soul’ in Syria’s besieged areas in December, says UN advisor
- UN tribunal for former Yugoslavia leaves behind culture of accountability, says Guterres
- Security Council renews Syrian cross-border relief convoys amid ongoing challenges for aid workers