Kenyans facing acute foot shortage will soon heave a sigh of relief after tonnes of food bought by the United Nations World Food Programme, as well as the additional grain purchased by the United States of America, arrives.
Speaking to the press on Friday, August 19 while in Kenya’s Northern region, UN World Food Programme Director David Beasly noted that the first consignment purchased by the UN is already enroute to the Horn of Africa.
He noted that the first shipment was carrying 23,000 tonnes expected to offer relief to 1.5 million people in the Horn of Africa for a period of one month.
The drought, which hit the region in 2019, has claimed many lives and roughly 22 million individuals in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are on the brink of starvation.
UN World Food Programme David Beasley in Northern Kenya
AP
“I think there’s a high probability we’ll have a declaration of famine,” Beasly explained as per the Associated Press.
The first consignment is expected to arrive at the port in Djibouti on August 26 or August 27 from which the grains will be transported to the drought-ravaged region by road.
He further noted that plans are already in the works for the US to purchase 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine for hungry nations.
Russia and Ukraine, which are warring, signed an agreement with the UN and Turkish government to allow export of grain purchased from Ukraine.
“With oil profits being so high right now — record-breaking profits, billions of dollars every week — the Gulf states need to help, need to step up and do it now.
“It’s inexcusable not to. Particularly since these are their neighbors, these are their brothers, their family,” Beasley added.
In June 2022, US President Joe Biden’s Administration offered to help mitigate the biting food shortage facing Kenya.
The US established a special trust, Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT), that collaborates with USAID to bolster existing food operations in the country.
According to US Embassy in Poland, Kenya has been listed alongside Ethiopia Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen which are set to benefit from a special trust that has allocated Ksh33 billion ($282 million) to the affected countries.
Food donations handed at a past event in Kenya
File
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