Hundreds of thousands acutely malnourished in Kenya

By Andrew Wasike

Nairobi, Kenya (AA) - Red Cross on Monday appealed to the international community and local aid agencies to come to the rescue of nearly 381,000 people, who are acutely malnourished, in Kenya.

“Nearly 344,000 children and over 37,000 pregnant and lactating women are acutely malnourished and in urgent need of treatment,” the Red Cross said in a statement issued on Monday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Noellah Musundi, public relations and communications manager of Kenya Red Cross Society, said that the world needs to come to the aid of the starving Kenyans.

"Millions of people are still in need of assistance, especially in the arid and semi-arid lands. Malnutrition levels are still high coupled with increased risk of disease," she said.

"We launched a drought appeal seeking to raise KES 2.5 billion ($24 million) and we continue to seek the support of well-wishers.”

Over 3.7 million Kenyans are facing starvation due to a drought that has hit the East African region, claiming the lives of people and livestock.

The Red Cross said it supplied 198,546 people with food as part of an ongoing drought response program and 245,236 with money in a cash transfer program, while 125,352 benefitted from animal destocking. However, it added that additional aid is needed to prevent deaths.

It warned that in July most parts of the country are expected to be dry, noting that this could further worsen the drought situation.

According to the United Nations and other aid organizations, more than 11 million people in East Africa are facing starvation with Somalia and South Sudan being the worst affected by drought and famine as conflict has made it hard for aid organizations to deliver food aid. The conflict has also made farming impossible.

Parts of Uganda and Ethiopia are also being affected by the drought.

The devastating drought is due to a period of low rainfall associated with the La Nina effect that followed the El Nino rains from 2016.