ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | ACF INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
COUNTRY PROFILE
Source: CIA Factbook
BASIC FACTS
Location: Eastern Africa
President: Mwai Kibaki
Government: Republic
Capital: Nairobi
Official Languages: English (Official), Kiswahili
(Official) and numerous
indigenous languages
Official Currency: Kenyan
Shilling
MODERN HISTORY
Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963,
after political resistance emerged from nationalist
political parties such as the Kenya African National
Union (KANU) and the Kenya African Democratic
Union (KADU). Jomo Kenyatta, a prominent member
of the KANU movement, was elected prime minister;
and in 1964 Kenya officially became a Republic.
Luo and Kalenjin ethnic groups and form the Orange
Democratic Movement (ODM) to challenge Kibaki’s
hold on power.
After Kenyatta’s death in 1978, Daniel arap Moi
came to power along with KANU and remained in
this position for 24 years, dominating the political
realm for the next two decades.
After weeks of violence and no established presidential winner, Odinga and Kibaki came to a power
sharing agreement whereby Kibaki remained president and Odinga was installed as prime minister. Political violence has disappeared since the elections
of 2007 and relations between Odinga and Kibaki
seem stable. However, the coalition government’s
inaction on key issues has gone hand-in-hand with
a series of corruption scandals that have further
eroded public confidence in the political system.
Life Expectancy: 58.82
years
Political liberalization - the relaxation of former
restrictions - occurred in the early 1990s after
international pressure and civil unrest. But it was
not until 2002 that KANU was defeated and Mwai
Kibaki came to power under the National Rainbow
Coalition (NARC), an opposition group dominated by
Kenya’s largest tribe, the Kikuyu.
Literacy Rate (age 15 and
over): 85.1%
Accusations of corruption and ties with Moi forces
allowed Raila Amolo Odinga to gain support from the
Population: 40 million
Climate: tropical along
coast; arid in interior
Area: 580,367 km²
National Flag:
In December of 2007, elections took place and both
Odinga and Kibaki claimed victory. This sparked civil
unrest which led to over 1,200 deaths and approximately 250,000 displaced persons.
Elections will be held again in 2012.
HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT
Around 10 million of Kenya’s inhabitants (28% of the population) are considered food insecured--i.e, have
irregular access to sufficient food--while an estimated 4.8 million people are dependent on food aid (14%
of the population). With annual droughts in the North and flooding in the South, Kenya experiences routine
climatic shocks that leave its population vulnerable to seasonal hunger and malnutrition.
The northeast region is one of the most vulnerable in Kenya, mainly due to its lack of productive capacity,
aridity, sandy soils and scant vegetation. The region has had little rain since the droughts of 1991 and 1992,
and conditions have only deteriorated since the harsh drought of 2001, further increasing vulnerability
among its human and animal populations.
Source: CIA FactBook
Photos: ACF-KENYA, courtesy
of Sophie Bruas, 2008; Glen
Hughson, 2008; James
Phelan, 2009; Sophie Bruas,
2008
As a pastoralist region dependent on livestock and trade, consecutive droughts and climatic shocks have
thinned herds and made traditional ways of life impossible. With the loss of their livestock, small farmers have begun growing export crops such as sugar cane, coffee and tea, reducing the availability of staple
cereals like corn and wheat in Kenyan markets.
Nearly 60% of all Kenyan families get their drinking water from unsafe sources, and chronic water scarcity
and routine droughts can lead to increased confrontations between groups competing for water for farming
and gazing.
247 West 37th Street, 10th floor | New York, NY 10018 | Tel: 212-967-7800 | Fax: 212-967-5480 | www.actionagainsthunger.org
Action Against Hunger is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. All contributions are tax-deductable to the full extent of the law.
ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | ACF INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
COUNTRY PROFILE
ACTION AGAINST HUNGER IN IN KENYA
ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | ACF INTERNATIONAL
has been present in Kenya since 2002, responding
initially to nutrition emergencies in the North Eastern Province, and since expanding geographically in
response to a variety of humanitarian emergencies
and political crises.
GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE
Kenya is a coastal country located in Eastern Africa;
it borders the Indian Ocean, Ethiopia, Somalia,
Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The Kenyan Highlands
are one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. Kenya is also home to Mount
Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa.
After the post-election violence in 2007, ACF
launched emergency response programs to help
displaced populations access essential items like
blankets, cooking pots and utensils, plastic sheeting, soap, wash basins, feminine napkins, and
buckets and jerry cans for transporting water. As
the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) grew, coalescing in makeshift camps in Nakuru, ACF began
nutritional surveillance and therapeutic nutrition programs for children under five years of age whose families had lost access to their usual sources of food and income. ACF’s teams also worked to enhance access
to water and proper sanitation in the camps, constructing latrines, shower blocks, water distribution points,
and drainage and refuse pits.
When the crisis subsided, and these populations began returning home, ACF was there to support the most
vulnerable with cash-based programs to help families get back on their feet. Two distinct programs were
launched (1) an urban cash grants program to help vulnerable IDPs restart their livelihoods; and (2) a rural
cash-voucher program that helped returnees replace essential non-food items as they transitioned home.
Though post-election emergency and recovery period are now over, ACF continues to carry out life-saving
sustaining humanitarian programs throughout Kenya:
Nutrition
FURTHER ACTIVITIES
•Browse domestic and
international media sources
to learn about current
events in Kenya.
•Ask students to describe a
striking cultural difference
they learned about Kenya,
comparing and contrasting
this with their own experiences.
ACF’s teams conduct routine nutrition surveys to track
malnutrition rates over time and better gauge where
programs are needed, in addition to therapeutic nutrition programs to treat malnourished children. ACF
also works with Kenya’s Ministry of Health to train and
support staff members and assist in developing Kenya’s
national guidelines governing nutrition and AIDS.
Food Security & Livelihoods
ACF introduced an innovative and cost-effective voucher
program that benefits vulnerable families while enhancing local markets. The program distributes up to 600
Kenyan Shillings per month in bi-weekly installments
to eligible families enabling them to buy items of their
choosing from a predetermined list of fresh foods. After
receiving the vouchers, families redeem them for fresh
foods at designated local vendors, who in turn would
receive payments from ACF - stimulating demand for
nutritious local products.
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Photos: ACF-KENYA, courtesy
of Sophie Bruas, 2008.
Source : Google Maps
ACF’s field teams ensure access to water and improve sanitation by rehabilitating existing water points,
constructing subterranean reservoirs, and building latrines. The organization also provides health training
and education for the promotion of hygiene. To ensure that these resources are sustained over time, ACF
works with communities to set up water committees whose members are trained to manage water points
and other vital infrastructure.
247 West 37th Street, 10th floor | New York, NY 10018 | Tel: 212-967-7800 | Fax: 212-967-5480 | www.actionagainsthunger.org
Action Against Hunger is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. All contributions are tax-deductable to the full extent of the law.