The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday announced it will cut refugee food rations by 30 percent in Kenya due to insufficient funding.
The ration cuts will affect the more than 420,000 refugees living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in the northern region.
“We are facing a critical shortage of resources which has compelled us to reduce the amount of food given to the refugees only six months after we resumed full rations,” WFP Representative and Country Director Annalisa Conte said.
“WFP urgently needs US$28.5 million to adequately cover the food assistance needs for the refugees for the next six months.”
The agency provides food assistance to the refugees in a combination of food (cereals, pulses, vegetable oil, and nutrient-enriched flour) and cash transfers sent via mobile phones used to buy fresh food items from local traders.
The cuts will see a reduction in the share of food provided, but will not affect the cash transfers.
Conte decried the move, saying she hoped it was only a short-term measure, and that the international community would come into the refugees’ aid.
“Cutting rations is a last resort and we hope that it is only a short-term measure as we continue to appeal to the international community to assist. An abrupt halt to food assistance would be devastating for the refugees, most of whom rely fully on WFP for their daily meals,” she said.
The Kenyan government in 2016 announced plans to shut the Dadaab camp, saying it had been infiltrated by Al-Shabaab militants who planned attacks in the country. A high court order however declared such a move a violation of the constitution, though the government said it would continue to push for its closure.
