Kenya Drought response: Facts & Figures May - November 2022
According to the Kenyan authorities, over 4.35 million people living mostly in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) face severe food insecurity. Below-average rainfall has protracted across four consecutive rain seasons, and the weather forecast indicates the October-November-December 2022 rains would also underperform in these already severely affected parts of the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has targeted its drought response to the coastal and north-eastern counties (Lamu, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera), where the impact of the drought is compounded by insecurity and challenging access to the communities.
To ground its response at the community level, the ICRC works in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), which has presence in the communities, and engages with affected people and coordinates with local authorities.
Information session with residents in Lamu county. Engagement with affected communities allows Red Cross teams to better understand humanitarian needs and determine potential priorities for response, but also to raise awareness about the Red Cross principles and activities.</h2>
Two organizations working together have been implementing resilience-building programs along the border with Somalia and share an ambition for a stronger joint impact in the future considering the scale and complexity of humanitarian needs in this part of the country.
Red Cross volunteer extends a helping hand to a beneficiary during the distribution in Mbalambala, Garissa county. All humanitarian activities taking place in the affected regions rely on the welltrained and motivated local volunteers of the KRCS.</h2>
Since the beginning of the implementation of the drought response activities, the ICRC and KRCS have reached over 80,000 people with different types of assistance, as the activities continue.
Distribution of livestock feed in Lamu county. Aid deliveries in the pastoralist areas severely hit by the drought contain high-protein range cubes to meet nutritional needs of livestock.
In addition, the ICRC support was directed at strengthening the capacities of the local branches of the KRCS and of their volunteers who are essential for reaching remote communities with emergency response and other Red Cross activities.
