Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Alert - KENYA 01/2003
Geneva, December 05, 2002


Over 242,800 people are threatened with severe hunger in West Pokot and
Turkana in the mainly arid- and semi-arid districts of Northern Kenya.
Church leaders in the region, including the main ones, Evangelical
Lutheran church of Kenya (ELCK), Anglican Church, Catholic Diocese of
Lodwar, the Full Gospel Church of Kenya among others have, raised concerns
that the famine situation in their areas is serious. The ELCK approached
the ACT Nairobi Forum (ANF), through Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) Regional
Office in Nairobi with a proposal showing large population facing serious
famine threat.

ACT Nairobi Forum (ANF) has taken an immediate response to consider the
famine concerns raised by Churches. The Churches particularly, requested
for professional assessment of the situation, to help them consolidate a
co-ordinated appeal that would cover West Pokot and Turkana districts.
ANF has mandated NCA to be the lead Agency in this Appeal while the
grassroots churches will take lead as implementing partners. With close
co-ordination, ANF commissioned a consultant to evaluate the drought
situation, who carried out a Rapid Appraisal exercise, covering West Pokot
and Turkana districts between 11th to 22nd November 2002. The appraisal
results were as follows:


West Pokot

This season's rainfall amounts and distribution was the worst ever
experienced in the District since 1984. The amount received was neither
adequate to neither sustain planted food crops nor support the
regeneration of pasture and browse for livestock. This has led to a near
total crop failure with mixed farming zones realising less than 10% food
harvest. During this year's harvest season (which normally starts from
September to October) the main food producing zones in the District
registered a 97% drop from the normal maize production levels Further,
apart from the poor rains this year, there was a decrease in acreage of
arable land under maize crop occasioned by poor prices and delayed payment
of delivered produce to the National Cereal and Produce Board (NCPD) by
farmers last year.  This affected the farmers ability to timely procure
and utilise, the necessary farming inputs. With W/Pokot experiencing only
one planting season per annum, failure of the rains implies food shortages
will continue unless rains surfaces. Hundreds of the pastoralists and Agro
pastorlists have relocated their livestock's to neighbouring Trans-Nzoia
district and Uganda. Hence complicating further the household food
security of the remaining family members i.e. children, women and the
elderly.


Turkana

Pasture availability within most dry season grazing areas is worse than
normal for the season with deterioration forage for livestock. Most
surface water sources are drying up forcing pastoralist communities to
migrate.

 There is an increased number of animals offered for sale and prices have
started to drop, with average sale prices of goats and sheep dropping from
$US 12 during Sept to $US 9 in Oct. 2002. This downward prize trend has
partly been triggered by increased prices of cereals, indicative of the
significant drop in pastoralist purchasing power.

 Community security and peace is also threatened as large herds of
livestock moving from East Baringo through West Pokot to traditional dry
season grazing areas in South Turkana is frequently creating tension and
conflict along the Turkana/West Pokot borders.

 A rapid rise in malnutrition levels in the 3 divisions of (Lokori, Kakuma
and Lokitaung) is particularly severe among households that had not fully
recovered from the effects of the previous droughts.


Both the situations in West Pokot and Turkana warrants urgent humanitarian
intervention. The rapid assessment has confirmed the concerns of the
looming famine disaster indicated by the churches.


Target population

In West Pokot, 160,914, people, (47%) are considered to be extremely food
insecure for at least the next 3 months. This figure is predicted to reach
a maximum of 221,933 people (64%) between April * July 2003 and reduce to
120,686 people from August * October 2003 (35%) when the next harvest
season in the District is expected.

In Turkana and surrounding areas, a total of over 69,000 people are in
dire need of Relief food while additional 13,000 children less than five
years old will require supplementary feeding.

Over all, the approximated target population for the entire appeal
including children in areas, which will be targeted in the two districts,
are 242,800.  Population, which will require post recovery intervention,
will be included in the Appeal.


Following this alert, an appeal will be submitted soon by the ACT Nairobi
Forum to respond to the current crisis.


Thank you for your attention.

For further information please contact:

ACT Appeals Officer, John Nduna (phone +41 22 791 6040 or
mobile phone +41 79 433 0592)


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Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide alliance of churches and
their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
response.  The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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