Kenya among countries facing acute food insecurity - report

ECD pupils at Pakka Hills Primary School in Tiaty, Baringo County. The area has been ravaged by a food shortage in the past months.[File, Standard]

Kenya is among six IGAD countries facing high levels of acute food insecurity in 2026, with about 40.3 million people across the six countries affected by the crisis, a new report shows.

The Global Report on Food Crises 2026, launched regionally on Thursday, September 24, shows that acute food insecurity across the six countries has nearly tripled since 2016, driven by conflict and insecurity, weather extremes and economic pressures.

The six countries covered by the analysis are Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The 40.3 million people facing acute food insecurity represent about 34 per cent of the analysed population across the six countries.

The number has risen from 13.9 million in 2016 to 40.3 million in 2026, representing a 190 per cent increase.

Charity Mumbua, a food security specialist at IGAD, said droughts and floods remained among the main drivers of food insecurity, alongside conflict, insecurity and economic shocks.

The region is also facing the risk of further disruption from El Nino conditions, with the Kenya Meteorological Department warning of wetter-than-normal conditions during the October-December 2026 season.

In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), about 2.7 million people were experiencing IPC Phase 3 or above, Crisis or worse, between July and October 2026, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.

Of these, about 348,000 people were in Phase 4, or Emergency, requiring urgent life-saving support.

Although some improvement is projected between November 2026 and January 2027, about 2.1 million people are still expected to remain in Crisis or worse conditions.

The report said Somalia and Kenya recorded increases in the number of people facing acute food insecurity, reflecting the intensification of drought conditions from late 2025 into early 2026.

Across the six countries, 10.3 million people are in IPC Phase 4, or Emergency, a decline of about 1.4 million from the 2025 peak, mainly due to improvements in Sudan.

A further 29.8 million people are in IPC Phase 3, or Crisis, an increase of 2.2 million from 2025, driven mainly by increases in Kenya and Somalia.

Sudan remains the region’s largest and most severe food crisis, followed by South Sudan.

About 208,100 people in Sudan and South Sudan are estimated to be facing IPC Phase 5, or Catastrophe, the most severe level of acute food insecurity.

The report also estimates that 41.6 million people across the six countries are in IPC Phase 2, or Stressed. While they are not classified as facing acute food insecurity requiring urgent assistance, they remain vulnerable to shocks.

Lore Ambrose, Acting Secretary General in the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, speaking on behalf of Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu, said food insecurity in the region was being driven by interconnected challenges, including climate shocks, conflict and displacement, economic pressures and limited resources to respond to growing needs.

In Kenya, he said, the situation remained particularly concerning across the 23 ASAL counties.

“These figures are a sobering reminder that food insecurity in the ASALs is not simply a humanitarian issue, it is fundamentally a development and resilience challenge,” Ambrose said.

Stakeholders at the launch called for a shift from repeated emergency responses towards stronger preparedness and long-term investment.

They called for stronger early warning and anticipatory action, investment in resilient food systems and livelihoods, stronger regional food markets and trade, better coordination of food security data and increased financing for preparedness and response.

Food crisis worsening nutrition

The crisis is also affecting nutrition, with about nine million children aged six to 59 months estimated to be suffering from acute malnutrition across the six IGAD countries.

Of these, about 2.7 million are affected by severe acute malnutrition and require urgent treatment.

At least two million pregnant and breastfeeding women in Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda are also expected to suffer acute malnutrition.

The report links the nutrition crisis to inadequate food consumption, poor water, sanitation and hygiene services, poor health and nutrition practices and high disease burdens, compounded by conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks.

The region also hosts about 14.5 million internally displaced people and 4.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, the highest number among regions covered by the Global Report on Food Crises.

Displaced populations continue to face high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition due to limited access to livelihoods and social support, as well as heavy reliance on humanitarian assistance amid funding shortages.

Stakeholders said strengthening communities, food systems and regional cooperation would be critical to reducing the impact of future shocks and protecting lives and livelihoods across the region.