Is Kenya safe? drought and locusts in Kenya's coffee-producing countries lead to food shortages

Drought escalated into a national disaster

On Sept. 9, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the drought that was raging in several parts of the country had escalated into a national disaster, according to Xinhua. The president said agencies and governments will work to help affected families, including the distribution of water and relief food. In addition, he said more details of the government's comprehensive drought relief measures will be released in due course.

The National drought Authority of Kenya (National Drought Management Authority, NDMA) estimated a month ago that 2.1 million Kenyans face severe food shortages and are in urgent need of assistance in the next six months, NATION reported on Sept. 9. Asha Mohamed, secretary-general of the Kenyan Red Cross, said 12 arid and semi-arid counties were the most affected.

The report shows that between October and December, the meteorological department predicts that rainfall will be lower than usual, and the number of people facing severe hunger will increase to 2.4 million.

Food supply is tight due to climate change

According to a report by East African media on Sept. 7, the drought in 2020 killed many livestock, and now it is difficult for residents to guarantee that they can eat once a day and can only survive on the lowest food supply.

When there is rain, people are also allowed to plant some crops, such as sorghum. But the rain becomes elusive, either it doesn't rain and the crops are dried by the sun, or heavy rains cause floods and crops are destroyed.

According to a report released on Aug. 9 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC), the United Nations body that assesses the science of climate change, climate change has led to poor harvests, resulting in food shortages in the region, which is now heavily dependent on agriculture.

Rainfall is a mixed blessing.

According to the Relief Web Rescue Network (a professional digital services platform authorized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in October 1996), the Kenya Food Security Outlook report for August 31, 2021 shows that after a long period of poor average rainfall from March to May 2021, rainfall has been mixed.

In western Kenya and coastal areas, the average rainfall from June to August is 100 mm below average, with the largest rainfall gaps in southern Turkana, West Pokot and Balingo counties. The dry season continues in pastoral areas and agricultural fringes of eastern and northern Kenya, with little rain in many areas. Overall, accumulated rainfall across Kenya is still well below normal, ranging from 55 to 95 per cent below normal.

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