Kenya - Emergency Humanitarian Assistance to 2005 Drought Victims

The present intervention concerns the Humanitarian Emergency Assistance to Drought-Affected Communities in 2004. It's designed because of the many damages caused by the rains in Kenya. Indeed, the long season rains were particularly poor in most of the Eastern and Southern Kenya, this year (2004), as well as parts of the northern areas. A dry spell from late April to May came at a critical stage in crop production. Scattered showers in early June were too late for a significant crop recovery, resulting in high crop failures in other parts of the country, including the Coast and Eastern Provinces. Pasture and grazing lands have also been rendered unproductive in most of the North Eastern Province and parts of the Rift Valley. It's, at this time, estimated that over 2.3 million people would require food assistance this year and up to early 2005. According to the Government, this emergency assistance should be needed up to the end of January 2005 for people struggling with food shortages. It should also support the school-feeding programme amongst other needs in the arid and semi-arid areas.