- An estimated 3.8 million people in rural areas are highly to extremely food insecure. The extremely food insecure populations include pastoralists in many parts of Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, and Tana River districts, and marginal agricultural farm households in parts of Mwingi and Kitui districts. Critical food and non–food needs exist in these areas.
- Most of the food insecure population is likely to remain at least highly food insecure through the end of the year. However, modest improvements in pastoral food security are expected toward the end of the year, especially in the districts that are currently extremely food insecure and in the northeastern pastoral districts, due to the expected favorable El Niño rains.
- While drought is the critical proximate causal factor for the levels of food insecurity, the adverse effects of heightened food prices, livestock disease, and debilitating conflict have caused a precarious decline in food security that may not be reversed quickly, even by above–normal rains due to El Niño.
