“More than 37 million people are facing acute hunger, with approximately seven million children under the age of five acutely malnourished in the Horn of Africa,” this is according to the World Health Organization. The WHO further warned on Tuesday, the 2nd of August 2022 that the Greater Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises over the last 70 years.
The latest data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Food Security June 2022 report states that; “Over 4 million Kenyans are facing food insecurity in Kenya.” West Pokot County is among the most prone counties to droughts, greatly attributed to the last 4 failed rain seasons, with a prediction of a possible 5th this year.
The government has initiated a program to buy and slaughter animals from residents. This initiative will reduce the losses experienced by farmers during this drought. Through the program, hungry residents are fed through the distribution of the meat from the slaughtered animals. So far, more than 200,000 families are being fed. The program is being run in different counties faced with drought.
Food security still stands as a global concern that requires urgent interventions to ensure we don’t lose millions of people to mortality through hunger or malnutrition.
