Famine not imminent in Kenya, UN official says

Although the number of Kenyans in need of emergency food aid is continuing to grow, the country is not facing the threat of famine “at this moment,” the United Nations' top relief official told the Nation on Monday.

Ms Valerie Amos, the under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, warned, however, that famine could soon spread to much of southern Somalia.

And she underscored the need for increased funding for anti-hunger initiatives throughout the Horn of Africa.

Some 3.7 million people in Kenya now require assistance — about 800,000 more than a few weeks ago, Ms Amos said.

Of that higher total, 3.2 million are Kenyans, with Somali refugees accounting for most of the rest, Ms Amos told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

The Kenyan government is cooperating with relief efforts, she added, noting that the World Food Programme “can transit across Kenya to deliver aid at the border with Somalia.”

The government has also kept the border open, allowing Somalis to escape hunger and violence, Ms Amos said.

And she pointed out that Kenyan authorities have agreed to open an additional camp at the Dadaab complex to accommodate the continuing influx of Somali refugees.

Kenya has taken positive steps of its own, Ms Amos said in an interview following the press briefing.

The government has been “trying to put in place long-term measures to help people build resilience,” she observed.