Kenya Provides $16 Million for Drought Mitigation Amid Hunger

On Tuesday, Kenyan President William Ruto said his government has allocated US$16.47 million for food relief to counties affected by the severe drought across the country.

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His administration will also collaborate with development partners and the private sector to raise additional funds to tackle the crippling drought which has affected more than 4 million Kenyans.

"We are working with development partners to raise another 10 billion shillings (US$82.36 million) to ensure no part of the country is unfairly affected by drought," Ruto made the remarks while being installed as the Patron of the Kenya Red Cross Society.

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance currently stands at 4.35 million, a rise from 4.1 million in June, according to National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). Due to diminished pasture and water resources in most of the arid counties, mortalities across all livestock species namely camels, cattle, goats and sheep have increased.

Part of the new allocation will be channeled to support the animal offtake program through which the government buys weak livestock from pastoralists. Half of the animals are slaughtered and the meat distributed to locals while the other half are taken to the Kenya Meat Commission where their meat is canned for distribution to schools.

The interventions being undertaken together with development partners and the private sector will save the lives of Kenyans in areas worst affected by the drought. The Kenya Red Cross Society will continue playing an integral role in the efforts to mitigate the drought which has affected 20 of the 23 counties categorized as Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL).

Ruto also announced that US$1.65 million will be allocated to the Kenya Wildlife Service to undertake water trucking for wildlife in Kenya's national parks and reserves. Even as the government leads efforts to respond to the drought emergency, it remains focused on plans to ensure a constant and predictable food supply in the future.

Predictability in the supply of food is being ensured through the provision of cheap fertilizer and seeds, and the construction of enough dams to support irrigation among several other measures.