Kenya

Humanitarian situation

Good rainfall and sustained support following the 2011 drought have contributed to significant reduction in the number of people considered food insecure from 3.75 million in 2011 to 2.1 million as of October 2012.¹ Reductions in malnutrition have been recorded with the number of children under 5 suffering from acute malnutrition reduced from 385,000 to 300,000.² However, the nutrition and food security situation in areas bordering Somalia has not improved due to difficult access caused by insecurity. High food prices, exceeding five-year averages, remain a cause for concern.³ Children continue to be vulnerable to disease outbreaks owing to poor routine health services. Some 375,000 children are at risk of having their education compromised due to natural disasters and displacement, which increase protection concerns and risks of gender-based violence. Kenya hosts 618,000 refugees,⁴ the majority being women and children in need of special protection. Violence linked to the electoral process has led to the temporary displacement of more than 100,000 people in 2012 and may escalate in the lead-up to the election in March 2013. Kenya is also preparing to move towards devolved governance structures, which in turn provide opportunities and challenges for rolling out humanitarian response and resilience-building strategies.

UNICEF originally appealed for US$47,126,000 and later revised requirements to US$42,300,342 through the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) mid-year review due to improvements in food and nutrition security. As of 31 October, a total of US$30,036,494 or 71 per cent of the revised requirements were received in contributions from various donors. While the overall appeal was relatively well funded, the WASH and child protection sectors were funded at less than 50 per cent, which constrained the achievement of planned results. UNICEF’s response focused on maintaining optimum levels of programme coverage while continuing to strengthen and develop systems. In addition to meeting global standards for the integrated management of acute malnutrition, government budgetary allocations to nutrition increased by 60 per cent in 2012/2013 due to sustained advocacy. Measles campaigns achieved 96 per cent coverage in drought-affected areas. Enhanced inter-sectoral linkages facilitated reaching a larger target group with hygiene promotion messages. UNICEF and partners enhanced community outreach and protection service provision in Dadaab refugee camps, supporting more than 50,000 children through child-friendly spaces. Cash grants were provided to 15,283 households with vulnerable children in seven drought-affected areas. Materials for integrating disaster risk reduction into the national education curriculum were developed. A campaign to promote peace will reach students across the country in advance of the elections in 2013. As a result of UNICEF’s work with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and partners on the joint education strategy for the Dadaab refugee camps, gross enrolment in pre-primary education nearly doubled, increasing from 16.9 per cent in January to 33.5 per cent in June 2012.

UNICEF funding requirements for 2013

In line with the Kenya’s inter-agency 2013 Consolidated Appeals Process, UNICEF is requesting US$39,860,035 to meet the humanitarian needs of children and build capacities in communities and local and national service delivery systems to enhance resilience to recurrent shocks. Without additional funding, gains in programme coverage and coordination may be lost, and women and children faced with multiple shocks such as food insecurity, drought and temporary or protracted displacement will not receive timely assistance to support them in fulfilling their basic need and realizing their rights.