By Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI
More than 2 million Kenyans are facing starvation due to adverse weather conditions including the failing November-December short rains, the government said Thursday.
Devolution and Planning Minister Mwangi Kiunjuri warned that residents in 11 of the country’s 47 counties were hard-hit by the dry spell and are in urgent need of food aid. He said that number increased from 5 in November last year.
“The number is currently 2 million and it is fast rising, our population in these areas is growing and our water resources are fast decreasing, drought conditions are worse now,” Kiunjuri said during a news conference in Nairobi.
He said the government released 9.2 billion Kenya shillings ($88.5 million) to help mitigate the effects of the drought in the most affected areas.
“We would like to assure all Kenyans that the government is on top of this situation and shall ensure that necessary help reaches the needy on time,” he added, noting that the government would release an additional 7 billion shillings ($67.3 million) from May through July before reevaluating the situation.
In the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), the little available water that is barely fit for drinking is shared between animals and humans.
The drought has left a trail of dead animals. Those that have survived the tough times marked with a severe vegetation deficit have been reduced skeletons.
Coastal and Western Kenya have also been affected.
