NAIROBI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Friday said that an estimated 2.6 million people in 24 arid and semi-arid counties are in urgent need of relief food amid a prolonged dry spell that worsened crop failure.
Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna said the government has put elaborate measures in place to ensure that emergency food aid reaches citizens affected by drought.
"The government is keenly monitoring the drought situation in the country and has put in place necessary intervention measures to mitigate its effects on citizens," Oguna said in a statement released in Nairobi.
He said that eight counties that are located in the northeastern parts of Kenya are severely affected by drought and require urgent food aid to avert starvation.
"Another six counties have entered the drought-affected category and require some interventions to counter the situation. The rest are moderately in need of food assistance," said Oguna.
Government statistics indicate that 623,000 children and 69,000 pregnant and lactating mothers are at risk of malnutrition in 23 arid and semi-arid counties.
Oguna said the state intends to allocate 3.7 billion shillings (about 36 million U.S. dollars) to cater for drought response between September to December.
According to Oguna, the department of defense has facilitated transportation of livestock feeds and delivery of clean water using bowsers in the semi-arid counties grappling with drought.
He said the government has deployed medical personnel to treat malnourished citizens while scaling up school feeding programs in remote counties where droughts have become a regular phenomenon due to climate change.
"The government will continue to review the drought situation to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent loss of lives and livelihoods of its people," said Oguna.
