Kenya

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. There has been little rain since the serious droughts of 1991 and 1992. In addition, the region has been affected by another harsh drought since 2001, further increasing its vulnerability.

With the loss of their flocks, peasants are finding it impossible to take up their traditional way of life again, depending on trade and livestock. The change in crops has led to farmers to grow sugar cane, coffee and tea, all destined for exportation, reducing the production of staple cereals like corn and wheat.

In Kenya 56.7% of poor families get their drinking water from unsafe sources during the dry season and 59.6% during the rainy season. They have to pay between $0.13 and $0.26 for 20 liters of water. Because of the water’s scarcity and price, there are frequent confrontations between clans that increase at times of drought and grazing.

Kenya's cultural diversity is one of its main riches but at the same time one of its main sources of conflict. HIV/AIDS patients currently occupy half of the country's hospital beds; it is calculated that 15% of the population or 2.5 million people is living with the disease (2001). Refugee camps in the northeast, in Dadaab - Ifo and Dagahaley - have collapsed or were destroyed by the torrential rains of 2003. The camps provide shelter for more than 60,000 refugees, mainly from neighboring Somalia. The northeastern region is largely dependent on humanitarian and foreign aid.