Kenya has 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance: report

In a report issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the NDMA said that the figure increased from a million in July, following a "drought phase" especially in the 23 arid and semi-arid regions of the East African nation.

"Acute malnutrition has also been noted across the counties with 479,498 children aged six to 59 months and 110,169 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers currently malnourished acutely and in need of treatment," the NDMA said.

The agency noted that some 39 per cent of the arid counties reported a nutrition situation worse than usual at this time of year, which could be attributed to the limited number of outreach activities delivering essential nutrition services coupled with the high morbidity rates.

Among regions with cases of malnutrition are Baringo, Turkana, Kitui, Laikipia, Lamu, Makueni and West Pokot, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development showed that the number of food-insecure people in the Horn of Africa stood at 64.8 million as of November, with climate shocks being the primary drivers.

Last month, the World Food Programme (WFP) had said that it requires $137.6 million in net funding to provide humanitarian aid to one million food-insecure Kenyans over the next six months.

The WFP estimated that one million Kenyans, primarily in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), are acutely food insecure -- a number projected to rise to 1.8 million by January 2025 due to anticipated La Nina conditions.

Over 900,000 children aged six to 59 months, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, require nutritional supplementation, with high malnutrition rates concentrated in ASAL counties, especially in northern Kenya, it said.

The WFP, in collaboration with the UN refugee agency UNHCR and Kenya's Department of Refugee Services, is developing a differentiated assistance model tailored to the specific needs of refugee and asylum-seeker households.

"Moving away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, this model will categorise refugees based on their vulnerability and capacity to meet basic needs," the WFP said in its latest report.

Under this model, the most vulnerable refugees will receive comprehensive humanitarian assistance, while others will access targeted support, such as livelihood programs, skills training, and economic resources. "This strategy promotes equitable use of resources, long-term sustainability, and self-reliance among refugee populations," the WFP said.

The appeal comes as the WFP faces chronic funding shortages, which have led to food ration reductions, now at a record low of 40 per cent, and a temporary halt to cash transfers for 580,000 refugees in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya since May, according to the WFP.

The UN agency said it has gathered data and engaged with refugee communities to guide the categorisation and profiling of households for differentiated assistance, noting that "this major shift in how humanitarian and development services are delivered to refugees in Kenya requires a structured and inclusive process, guided by the do no harm principle."