The German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel and the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) department head Dr. Friedrich Kitschelt are expected to visit Kenya next week. The German delegation is expected to tour various GIZ projects but of priority are those that deal with drought response in the [...]

Implementation of emergency response activities to mitigate the effects of last year’s severe drought in parts of Northern Kenya continues. However, localized flash floods experienced late last year reported in parts of Wajir, Turkana, Pokot and Mandera districts affected some of these activities. The Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) was among the organizations affected [...]

A recent rapid assessment conducted by the Wajir South Development Authority revealed that on average, only three litres of water is available per person per day in Wajir County. This is far from the recommended 15 litres per day. The assessment further indicates that 90 per cent of the county had not received any rains [...]

Residents of Takaba district in Mandera County now have more food to take them through the month after the Supreme Council of Muslims in Kenya (SUPKEM) continued with it’s interventions to supply food rations to about 200 households in the area.  SUPKEM has partnered with the German Development Cooperation through GIZ to carry out nutritional [...]

The Kenya Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Drought and Refugee Influx June-December 2011 indicates that children and women are at the greatest risk of severe malnutrition during prolonged periods of drought. The report further indicates that high rates of anaemia amongst women and children lead to an increase in pregnancy complications and miscarriages affecting [...]

Implementation of the drought response funds from Germany is underway. Various implementing partners are carrying out interventions to ensure immediate provision of food aid, vitamins and food supplements for newborns and infants, convalescing women and those breastfeeding in the Programme’s focal areas affected by the drought. The partners are further expected to strengthen and expand [...]

Increasing leadership capacity and a clear vision in disaster preparedness could be the answers to a sustainable solution for dealing with drought in the country. The Kenya Alliance of Resident Association (KARA) recently brought together stakeholders from various areas to come up with Kenyan ideas on possible sustainable solutions to the country’s perennial drought problem. [...]

Developing the Northern areas of Kenya and finding political solutions to accelerate peace in Somalia are some of the long-term solutions that could see an end to increased gender violence cases in this area. Speaking during a Live interview on Citizen TV Dr. Klaus Hornetz, outgoing Programme Leader of the GIZ Health Sector Programme indicated [...]

Kenya is currently experiencing a dengue fever outbreak in the North Eastern regions of the country. The Division of Disease Surveillance and Response approximates that to date more than 10,000 people have been affected with five confirmed deaths. The biting drought has significantly increased mobility of the pastoralist population in the affected county in search [...]

Evidence from emergency situations across the world show that incidences of Gender-Based Violence, in particular violence against women and girls substantially increase during emergency situations.  Disasters like the ongoing severe drought in Kenya do not affect women, men, boys and girls equally.