Food shortages creating “desperate” situation

Aid agencies have warned that food shortages in Kenya are once again creating a desperate situation in the country. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, 42 humanitarian and development agencies said that after years of drought, more than four million vulnerable people were still facing starvation, “yet the international community is not responding adequately to appeals for food”. “Despite rain in some areas, the needs are still immense,” said Emma Naylor, the humanitarian programme coordinator for Oxfam, Great Britain. “This has been the worst drought that Kenya has faced in living memory. Assessments show that as many as 4.4 million people will require food aid in Kenya until the end of the year. News that food will run out by May is disastrous.” The statement said that in recent months, parts of Kenya seem to have been recovering from the devastating drought, but food shortages in the north and east were still causing serious problems. “Assessments show that even if the current rainy season is good, food will be required until the end of the year.” Of particular concern was the lack of oil and pulses, in addition to a shortage of special supplementary food for children, the statement pointed out. Surveys in parts of northern Kenya show that malnutrition among children is still unacceptably high. “It is desperately sad to think that despite all the progress that has been made and all the lives that have been saved, we are facing a return to widespread suffering,” said Alloys Omolo of the organisation CARE. “Donors should realise that if they don’t support this appeal, the positive impact of their earlier response will be wasted.” Earlier this week, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned that 64 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa facing severe food shortages were in East Africa. It described the situation in Kenya as precarious.