Rains worsen plight of millions in Kenyan food crisis

Today ActionAid warned that 3.5 million people face the threat of starvation as the Kenyas food crisis worsens, despite recent rains. Aid trucks have not been able to pass along water-logged roads, there have been outbreaks of disease and many more animals have died, unable to survive the cold.

The rains should not create a false impression. The food crisis in Kenya still continues and is worse than ever. With roads blocked, vital supplies of food have not been getting through. Only now the rains are subsiding can we reach the people in desperate need, said Roger Yates, ActionAids head of emergencies, who is currently in Kenya.

Many of the roads in the worst-affected areas such as Mandera and Moyale have been cut off for the last 10 days. With the rains easing, the roads are becoming passable again and the aid agencies have resumed emergency food deliveries.

Outbreaks of measles have been reported in Marsabit and in Isiolo many people are suffering from stomach pains due to drinking dirty water.

It is estimated that 10,000 people have been displaced by the rains throughout the country. In Isiolo, one of the areas worst hit by the drought, eight people have died and 3,000 people have lost their homes.

The next few months are crucial to the survival of millions of people. With most of the cattle gone and no harvests for many months to come, people will be totally reliant on relief supplies.

I have seen for myself how bad things are. I urge people to keep giving to our East Africa appeal they will be saving lives, said Hannah Crabtree from ActionAid UK who returned from Kenya three weeks ago.

To date, ActionAid has spent over half a million pounds on its emergency response programme in Kenya, helping over 400,000 people. The organisation is focusing on the provision of seeds, the restocking of livestock and irrigation projects.

In Takaba in northern Kenya, ActionAid has worked with local partners to build a water project that has just been completed. Two dams are now full of water, ready to supply people in the area long after the rains have subsided.

The agency is also launching emergency programmes in Tanzania, Burundi and Somaliland.

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ActionAid has worked in Kenya for over 30 years.

To donate to the East Africa appeal visit www.actionaid.org or call 01460 238023

ActionAid works in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to fight global poverty and tackle the injustice and inequity that cause it.