NAIROBI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said on Tuesday that the number of people in need of food support is likely to increase from the current 4.3 million due to persistent drought.
Hared Adan, chief executive officer of the state-owned National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), told journalists in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that the reported rains are only expected to recharge the water sources and limit pasture regeneration in pocket areas of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL).
"The January to March 2023 dry season is likely to reverse any recovery witnessed," Adan said.
He noted that drought stress is likely to rebound next year; hence a sustained drought emergency response will be required.
"There are 13 ASAL counties that are in the alert phase while another seven are in the alarm phase of drought," he noted.
Adan said one of the key drought impacts is the death of an estimated 2.5 million livestock in the ASAL counties.
He observed that the government has spent 18 billion Kenyan shillings (about 146 million U.S. dollars) to fund various drought response programs.
He also revealed that Kenya requires 463 million U.S. dollars to combat the drought between January and October 2023. ■
