[pronut-hiv] KENYA: Child malnutrition rates high in drought-hit districts

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KENYA: Child malnutrition rates high in drought-hit districts
NAIROBI, 28 Dec 2005 (IRIN) - Severe food insecurity in the drought-hit
eastern and northern pastoral districts of Kenya has led to alarming
malnutrition rates among children, a famine early warning agency said on
Wednesday.

"Very little milk is available for all age groups and most critically
the young children. In addition, pastoralists are beginning to reduce
the frequency and composition of meals," the USAID-funded Famine Early
Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said in its December update on food
security in Kenya.

It said child malnutrition had reached alarmingly high levels in some
areas of Wajir, Mandera and Tana River districts where a survey was
carried out in October. Global Acute Malnutrition rates in these
districts ranged between 18 percent and 30 percent, according to the
report.

FEWS NET said pastoralists were trekking up to 40 km in search of water,
pasture and browse leading to weakening of the livestock and high animal
mortality rates; especially in Wajir, Marsabit and Mandera districts.

It said insufficient household nutrition was being worsened by the lack
of clean water. Congestion around the few functioning boreholes had led
to rising cases diarrhoeal diseases, it added.

A significant proportion of farming households in the southeast and
coastal lowlands were also under severe food stress, particularly in
Makueni, Kitui, Malindi, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta districts, where
long rains failed for the second consecutive year and the short rains
were poor, FEWS NET said.

The short rainy season contributes close to 70 percent of farm output in
the lowlands, it added.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
said on Friday some 2.5 million Kenyans were in need of emergency food
aid and other non-food interventions following the failure of the
October-December short rains.

Meanwhile, the government has stepped up food aid deliveries to the most
affected districts in Northeastern Province. President Mwai Kibaki
visited Mandera and Wajir on Tuesday and participated in the food
distribution effort. 

"The government will not shirk from its responsibility of looking after
its people and will distribute relief food to all areas affected by food
shortages in the country," he said, according to the Presidential Press
Service.

He said government would buy livestock from the pastoral communities and
advised those with large herds of animals to take advantage of the
programme to avoid losing them to drought. Animals bought by the
government would be slaughtered and the meat distributed free of charge
to the needy.