FAMINE IN KENYA.

FAMINE IN KENYA
Hunger has forced many children out of school. Some families go for two or three days without a proper meal. Children sleep on Empty stomachs and most fail to go to school the following morning. Those who make it can hardly concentrate in class.
In the past few months maize prices has gone up with over 100% fro khs 2000/= to kshs.4,000/= & in some places to kshs 4,800/=.Maize flour has gone up by over 150% from kshs.25/= to kshs.80/=.,while cooking fat has gone up from kshs.90/= in may this year to ksh235/=The orphans and their care givers ,the people living under grinding poverty, and the unemployed are starving because the price of most of the daily essential and especially staple food has shot beyond their reach.
Kenya’s poor will continue to slide further into poverty as the year progresses due to the impact of the soaring food prices and global economic crises on their incomes. Over four million people will continue to be trapped in extreme poverty and we expect to experience a rise in number of the people living in Grinding and extreme poverty. The main problem is food affordability, particularly for orphans ,vulnerable children, people living with HIV/AIDS, Pregnant women, and the poor people including the pastoralists who incomes has been reduced by the recession and death of their animals(Pastoralists) due to the persistent drought.
The proportion of people feeling the pinch of the high cost of living has doubled from 33% to 66% in the past four months. The four commodities making life unbearable are Maize (Corn),Maize flour, sugar and cooking fat, who prices has increased by between 70%-150% over a period of six months.
Causes
1. Fuel is the main driver of our economy and any slight increase usually leads to an increase in food prices and everything else. It has increased from kshs,94.53- 115/=,translating to 17.8%.
2. High Global food prices, coupled with Prolonged Severe drought, have depressed food yields and depleted stocks country wide.
3.The shilling depreciation against the Us dollar by about 8% from kshs.83.55 -91.
4.High inflation,
5.The 2007/2008 post election led to a significant reduction of area under maize production,
6.High prices of farm inputs including fertilizer and fuel/diesel there was a 1.6 bags deficit of the maize harvest
With soaring prices of fuel and food hitting the roof, hunger beckons for an estimated2.5 million orphans and they require assistance with food urgently.24% of Kenyans are feeling that famine is the most pressing issue apart from the high cost of living. One third of the Kenyans living in grinding poverty are adapting survival tactics in these has times. Most are using child labor, skipping meals and doing without non food items. In Most parts of Kenya people are moving to camps in several Centres where they can access relief food. Boarding schools students has been staring at a food crisis amid soaring prices and failing supplies. They were closed earlier than usual because there has been no let up in the cost of food, only to come home with increase school fees with areas as per from January 2011.
In Central Kenya ,Murang’a county where AMCC is a bag of maize is costing kshs.4,000/= up from kshs.1,600/= in January, for the first time in many years surpassing the average of Kshs 2,600/= in 2009,when the country came close to witnessing food riots and beans is costing kshs.6,500/= up from kshs.4,000/=.This has affected AMCC-K, very much being a non-profit making CBO.
High inflation occasioned by rising food and fuel prices poses a major challenge to economic growth which could slow down significantly.
In June 2011,the inflation rose three times to 14.95% from an annual average of 4.1% in 2010,eroding the purchasing power of Kenyans. Due to inflation, also fuelled by the high international oil prices in the face of a weak shilling and food shortages ha made the cost of living index to continue increasing everyday.
High fuel prices affect the entire value chain of commodities, from manufacturing to retail
and the cost are often borne by the consumers. The government issued a hunger alert after some reports indicated that at least five people has died of starvation, one family has slaughtered a dog and another a cat .Kenya is among countries facing the world’s worst food security crisis. Pupils are abandoning classes to go and help their parents find food..

A United Nations report titled: Kenya Humanitarian Situation
Report from research carried out from July 13 to July 22, indicates that rain
failure had resulted in eroding stocks that had been realized in the year
2009 and 2010 leading to the people in Kenya depleting their reserves. The report
says that three consecutive seasons of failed rains could be the reason why famine
has hit the country so hard.
Some parts of Kenya have faced two or three successive poor rain seasons,
eroding gains made after the 2009 and 2010 El Nino rains.

The recent increase in food and fuel prices has made it difficult for Kenyans to
meet their basic needs, including a decent meal.
This (food crisis) has been worsened by a sharp increase in maize prices,
leaving Kenyans in a poor and critical state of food insecurity.
In a recent survey released by Synovate Kenya, the proportion of people
feeling the pinch of the high cost of living in the country doubled from 33 to 66
per cent in the past four months, that is, from April to July. The figure is expected
to rise further before the end of the year.
The drought situation was expected to worsen in the coming months in marginal
agricultural areas of south central Kenya. The crisis has further fuelled resource-
based conflict among pastoral communities. ,
The hunger situation is so severe that pupils in primary schools under the
school feeding program are asked by their parents to bring food rations home
to be shared by the rest of the family members.
The government relief food supplies reaching the hunger stricken
Kenyans are, however, not enough to feed them.
The majority of people are sleeping on empty stomachs and if they are
lucky to have some food, they survive on only one meal per day. One kilogramme
of maize is costing kshs. 60/=.After buying the grain, one also has to part with
another kshs.10/= for grinding the grain at a posho meal
Kenya’s situation is aggravated by the high increase in food prices
that averaged 30 per cent in 2008, and that has kept trend in the first four
months of 2009.
The impact of drought in the first quarter is the major factor behind
high food prices and therefore ,high inflation. Food affordability, is a main problem
particularly for poor people .
With the a foregoing, We appeal to all well-wishers Partners whether Locally or internationally to assist AMCC-K children with food donations.
May the Lord Bless us all.
Posted by: Ruth,
Communications officer