WFP Appeals for Help in Kenya

ROME - Aug 5/04 - SNS -- The World Food Program issued an emergency appeal for US$82 million for immediate food assistance to 2.3 million people affected by drought in Kenya.

The announcement follows an appeal on July 14 by President Mwai Kibaki, who called for international emergency assistance until at least the end of January 2005 for people struggling with food shortages in the rural areas of Coast, Eastern, North Eastern and Rift Valley provinces.

"You only have to visit these parts of Kenya to see with your own eyes how in many cases the maize crop has wilted under the sun after the failure of the long rains in May this year -- it is now essentially useless. People are struggling to provide enough food for their families," said WFP Kenya Country Director Tesema Negash.

This year's long rains were poor in much of eastern and southern Kenya and in some northern areas. A dry spell from late April to May came at a critical stage in the crop development. Scattered showers in early June were too late for a significant recovery, resulting in near-total crop failures in many parts of Coast and Eastern provinces. Pasture and grazing are already poor in much of North Eastern province and parts of Rift Valley.

If the short rains are poor later in the year, an additional one million people will require food assistance in 2005, bringing the total needing food assistance in Kenya in 2005 to 3.3 million.

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