NAIROBI (AlertNet) – Irregular food aid supplies and infighting among aid agencies over distribution have worsened hunger in Kenya, Business Daily reported on Tuesday.
While local government officials in Kenya’s northeastern Turkana region say there has been no general food distribution in one district this year, the national government and aid agencies say it has happened, the report said.
Kenya has a long-standing and elaborate food relief system. Twice a year, the government and aid agencies carry out needs assessments across the country to determine how much emergency aid will go to each district.
The government and the World Food Programme introduced new rules last year, limiting agencies to distributing food in a maximum of six districts. As a result, Kenya Red Cross was locked out of several districts where it had been delivering food aid.
This led to accusations of corruption, as other agencies with political connections lobbied to win the contracts. Food distribution is a profitable business as it provides jobs and transport contracts.
The Business Daily paper said the disarray over aid distribution was to blame for rising malnutrition rates.
In Turkana North-East, severe acute malnutrition is 9.8 percent, double all previously recorded levels, it reported.
Meanwhile, The Standard newspaper reported that the District Commissioner for Pokot South and four others have been questioned by the police over the theft of 280 bags of relief maize.
“We are holding the four for interrogation after the foiled sale of the relief food, intended to save starving families,” David Wambua, a senior police officer told the paper.
“Is it time government left aid agencies, NGOs and community-based groups to handle such distribution?” the paper asked in its editorial.
