• Northern Kenya hit by five years of almost continuous drought
• Estimated 70 per cent of the population affected by rising food prices
• Reduced food production in areas affected by post-election violence

While rising food prices have affected the entire population, the urban poor have been especially hard hit with food increasingly priced beyond their reach.

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Oxfam is providing support to 63,470 people in Turkana and 139,000 people in Wajir to help them cope with the worsening situation.

Oxfam in action: Building people's resilience to drought

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• Situation overview
• Oxfam's response

An unimaginable situation

The situation in the northern areas of Turkana and Wajir is deteriorating rapidly due to a combination of drought, high food and fuel prices, and reduced food production in areas that were affected by post-election violence. These factors have had a huge impact on the distribution and availability of food supplies.

Small-scale farmers are also struggling to support themselves and their communities, while many pastoralist groups have suffered livestock losses. The food that is available is fast becoming unaffordable for many families.

Acute malnutrition rates have been recorded well above emergency thresholds and additional problems are being caused by locust and army worm outbreaks in North Eastern Province. The influx of people from both Somalia and Ethiopia seeking humanitarian assistance is also placing a significant burden on scarce resources.

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• Oxfam's response

Oxfam's response

Oxfam is providing support to 63,470 people in Turkana and 139,000 people in Wajir through food distributions, water source rehabilitation, livestock destocking, and cash-for-work programmes. Our focus is both on addressing emergency needs and helping reduce long-term vulnerability to drought.

Oxfam in action: Building people's resilience to drought

In Turkana, we are providing a monthly ration of cereals, pulses, oil, and fortified foods to some of those who have been worst affected by the crisis. These distributions are being run alongside our cash-for-work programme where participants are paid in exchange for taking part in projects designed to strengthen their ability to cope with the crisis and expand their means of making a living. They have included initiatives such as kitchen vegetable gardens and producing fishing nets and boats to use on Lake Turkana.

We are also carrying out an emergency destocking programme where 20,000 sheep and goats who will not survive the current dry spell will be purchased from 5,000 housholds for a fair price. The meat from these animals will then be distributed to another 10,000 vulnerable households.

With many water sources drying up, access to water is becoming more of a problem. We are using our technical expertise to replace the expensive, diesel reliant, motorised systems needed to use deep wells, with wind and solar driven pumps. We are also supporting ten strategic boreholes with fuel, spare parts, and technical assistance in order to rapidly repair breakdowns when necessary.

July 2008

You can help

Donate now to Oxfam's World Food Crisis appeal