A youngster is spotted in Kidemu, Kilifi County, Kenya, on March 23, 2022. (Photo by Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
As of Monday, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in Kenya reported that over a million citizens are facing severe food shortages and desperately need aid.
The report released in Nairobi explained that 23 of Kenya’s 47 regions, particularly the ones identified as arid and semi-arid, have been hit hardest.
A significant decrease in children, aged six months to five years, receiving treatment for severe malnutrition was noted, dropping from 847,932 in February to 760,488 in August.
On the other hand, 112,401 pregnant and nursing women remain in need of urgent help due to malnutrition.
The NDMA highlighted that families often had to sell their produce to handle other financial obligations, which frequently led to inadequate nutrition and persistent issues such as growth stunting.
Back in July, a joint report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mentioned that around 66.7 million individuals in the Horn of Africa faced food insecurity. Out of this group, 39.1 million belong to six IGAD member countries, including Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
