NAIROBI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) — The United Nations (UN) on Friday launched an appeal for 139.5 million U.S. dollars to deliver humanitarian assistance to 1.3 million Kenyans affected by drought.
Stephen Jackson, UN resident coordinator for Kenya said that immediate action is needed to respond to the severe drought that is ravaging communities in regions that are categorized as Arid and Semi-Arid Land.
“We aim to deliver a full package of support in counties that will face the deepest and most severe needs in the months to come,” Jackson said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The appeal brings together 45 humanitarian partners, including UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), national civil society and the Kenya Red Cross Society, to complement the government’s response to the drought crisis in the arid region.
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that currently 2.5 million people are already experiencing food insecurity after two back-to-back rain seasons failed.
Jackson noted that Kenya has already been responding to the crisis as approximately 17 million dollars in public funds have already been allocated while the country has announced a further 20 million dollars to combat the drought ravaging nomadic communities.
He revealed that since January, the UN and international partners have already been reaching out to nearly half a million people to protect their lives and their livelihoods.