World Vision Kenya - Situation Report 8

Key highlights on World Vision's response to the hunger crisis, as of end of July 2017: 

Rise in need expected: The government of Kenya estimates the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance will rise to 4 million by end of July 2017. Humanitarian support is needed to assist 3.5 million people who lack of food and water in Kenya.

Acute malnutrition increasing: 31 percent of children in Turkana are acutely malnourished, as of June 2017, after a region-wide nutrition survey was conducted. Of particular concern is 12 percent of children who are severely malnourished, and at risk of death.

Food security situation worsening: Low annual maize yields were recorded, due to drought conditions and the fall army worm invasion, leading to an increase in food insecurity for families reliant on agriculture. The outlook for the next three months is worrying. Livelihoods are already under significant stress which will only deepen as the dry season unfolds.

General election: The 2017 General Elections in Kenya, slated for August 8, has resulted in a slowdown in economic activities, since early June. Often, tension between political party rivals rises during political campaigns, and is likely to disrupt typical livelihood activities, particularly for vulnerable communities across various parts of the country. The tension may impede community access to typical food and income sources. Humanitarian operations are often hampered until after the General Elections. In the event of an outbreak of electoral violence, displacement of vulnerable populations and disruption of food commodity flows are likely to exacerbate the fragile national food security situation.

Drought interventions must be scaled up: Due to rising needs, humanitarian and government responses must increase to protect people from starvation. Currently, more than 200,000 people are benefiting from World Vision’s response activities related to food assistance, nutrition, child protection, education and water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to support families facing the worst effects of drought. World Vision is appealing for an additional $13 million US to scale up the response to meet the needs.