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Kenya - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #9, Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Attachments

BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Note: The last fact sheet was dated March 12, 2008.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

- Population displacement and increased costs of agricultural production related to the post-election crisis threaten to reduce land cultivation by up to 30 percent in the upcoming long rains planting season, which is likely to result in decreased food production and negatively impact food security throughout Kenya, according to a joint-Government of Kenya (GOK), U.N., and relief organization short rains assessment conducted in February 2008.

- Multiple humanitarian agencies report concern over declining food security among populations affected by the post-election crisis, as well as prolonged humanitarian needs among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities. An estimated 150,000 IDPs are expected to remain in camps at least through the end of 2008, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). In addition, findings from USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) field assessments indicate that families hosting IDPs are draining existing household resources to meet food and additional needs of those displaced since early 2008.

- In response to the evolving humanitarian situation involving extended population displacement and disrupted livelihoods and food security for affected populations in central and western regions, international relief agencies are working to revise the inter-agency Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan released in January.

- The USAID/DART continues to conduct field assessments throughout affected regions of central and western Kenya, engage with U.N. and partner relief agencies to identify evolving humanitarian needs, and facilitate coordination and information sharing regarding response efforts.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SOURCE
Conflict-Affected Population at Risk of Poverty(1) 2,000,000 The World Bank - January 18, 2008
IDPs in camps 234,725 KRCS - March 3, 2008
Estimated IDPs within host communities 270,000 KRCS - February 19, 2008
Deaths 1,020 NDOC(2) - March 11, 2008
Refugees in Uganda 12,000 UNHCR(3) - February 26, 2008



FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Kenya.........................................................................................................................$5,736,498
USAID/FFP(4) Assistance to Kenya........................................................................................................................$39,719,000 State/PRM(5) Assistance to Kenya..........................................................................................................................$10,843,105
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Kenya............................................................................$56,298,603

CURRENT SITUATION

- The USAID/DART reports that while some humanitarian organizations in Nakuru, Rift Valley Province, are preparing for IDP returns to pre-crisis homes in the coming weeks and months, official IDP numbers are rising in most area sites. Relief staff note several factors leading to increased figures at camps, including the arrival or return of IDPs seeking food and shelter as host communities are increasingly unable to provide support, and others seeking livelihoods assistance or compensation for lost assets and property as a result of post-election violence.

- Based on findings from a USAID/DART field assessment in Rift Valley Province in mid-March, IDPs remaining in camps cite fear of ongoing insecurity in areas surrounding their pre-conflict homes. Aid agencies in the province are assisting in the consolidation of smaller camps into larger sites to improve the provision of humanitarian services to affected populations.

Notes

(1) While exact estimates of the total population affected by post-election violence vary, the World Bank estimated that 2 million Kenyans may be driven into poverty as a result of the ongoing complex emergency.
(2) The GOK's National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC). The number of deaths reported by NDOC only includes those confirmed by area hospitals and morgues. The complete number of deaths is still not known.
(3) Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
(4) USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP)
(5) U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM)