According to the Kenyan authorities, over 4.35 million people living mostly in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) face severe food insecurity. Below-average rainfall has protracted across four consecutive rain seasons, and the weather forecast indicates the October-November-December 2022 rains would also underperform in these already severely affected parts of the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has targeted its drought response to the coastal and north-eastern counties (Lamu, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera), where the impact of the drought is compounded by insecurity and challenging access to the communities.
To ground its response at the community level, the ICRC works in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), which has presence in the communities, and engages with affected people and coordinates with local authorities.