WFP worried by food shortages for Kakuma, Dadaab

Since January, WFP has been forced to progressively reduce the daily rations it distributes to refugees in Kenya, in the face of a resource shortage that threatens to break the food pipeline to Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps in the north of the country. By mid-April, the rations were just 1,399 calorie rations per day per refugee instead of the 2,100 Kcal daily ration recommended, WFP spokesperson Lauro Melo told IRIN. This had resulted in a deterioration of the nutritional situation of the refugee population, which in turn threatened to create “serious security concerns”, she said.

“There’s a serious risk that refugees will start protesting against food shortages, creating great instability locally and endangering the safety of WFP staff,” Melo added. The warning on resource shortages follows an alert by MSF in late June that malnutrition rates in Dadaab refugee camp would continue to rise unless donors strengthened the food pipeline. [for more details, see separate IRIN story of 1 August headlined “KENYA: Rising concern at food shortage for refugees”]