Humanitarian assistance reaches displaced Kenyans

(New York, 08 January 2008): The first wave of UN humanitarian aid has reached vulnerable populations in the Northern Rift Valley, who were displaced and victimised when post-electoral violence erupted.

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated in Kenya following the contested presidential elections that took place on 27 December, with inter-ethnic clashes erupting in the three western most provinces of the country: Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza, as well as in slum areas of Nairobi and other major towns such as Mombasa. As of 7 January, people were still on the move in and around the cities of Eldoret and Kericho, with several convoys of internally displaced persons (IDPs) heading for Nakuru. While the situation in the country is reported to be slowly returning to normal, humanitarian aid workers agree that many Kenyans will feel the effects of the crisis for some time to come.

The Government of Kenya reports that as many as 255,000 persons have been internally displaced. The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) currently has plans to aid 100,000. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are preparing to assist IDPs during the next three months. Food, shelter, water and sanitation, and protection are the most pressing needs.

To date, the World Food Programme (WFP) drew on its stocks from other operations in Kenya to provide 670 metric tonnes (MT) of food. Some 380 MT of pulses, corn-soya blend, and vegetable oil was forwarded to Eldoret, where it will feed 38,000 people for two weeks, while another quantity of food has been stockpiled in the capital to be used shortly to feed the hungry in the slums. Another 40 MT has been dispatched for the town of Kisumu, where WFP and its partners are planning to assist some 3,000 IDPs.

In addition, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has made available relief supplies for roughly 100,000 persons, while the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is working to provide emergency water and sanitation supplies to two IDP sites hosting some 22,000 displaced. The United Nations Disaster Management Team is sending field coordination specialists to Eldoret in support of the humanitarian coordination and information sharing mechanisms. Meanwhile, the United Nations agencies have submitted requests for funding to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is currently being processed urgently. A Flash Appeal is also under preparation.

The United Nations system, the UNHCR in particular, is also supporting the Government of Uganda in their assistance to some 2,900 Kenyan refugees that arrived in the country fleeing the post-electoral violence.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.