At least 31,000 children from arid and semi-arid lands who are affected by severe malnutrition will benefit from ready-to-use therapeutic food.
Flagging off more than 31,500 cartons of therapeutic food donated by the UK government at Afya House in Nairobi on Tuesday, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said the food will enable the treatment of over 31,000 children with severe malnutrition.
It is a life-saving essential food that treats severe malnutrition in children under five years old and comes packaged in the form of a ready-to-eat peanut paste fortified with vital vitamins and minerals.
Seven counties
The consignment will benefit children in the seven affected counties of Mandera, Turkana, Wajir, Marsabit, Garissa, Samburu and Isiolo.
“I have just visited Wajir where I met with families affected by the drought. The UN estimates that 4.1 million people are suffering from the drought’s impact and need support. We know climate change is driving these worsening droughts,” said Nick Dyer, the director-general for Humanitarian and Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Kenya is experiencing a prolonged and severe drought due to four consecutive failed rain seasons.
This has been driven by climate change and comes on top of the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented situation.
Drought impact
According to the UN, an estimated 4.1 million people are suffering from the impact of drought and need support.
This is a 17 per cent increase from the initial projection in the period between March and June 2022.
According to CAS Aman, persistent food insecurity has contributed to a dire and deteriorating nutrition situation, with about 942,500 children aged between 6-59 months urgently in need of therapeutic treatment for acute malnutrition.
About 24 per cent (229,000) of these children are suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition, compromising their immunity and significantly elevating the risk of mortality.
“The therapeutic foods that we are flagging off today and other batches that have already gone out will undoubtedly save the lives of children affected by the drought, one of the worst we have seen in decades,” Unicef Kenya Deputy Representative Jean Lokenga said.
