More than half a million refugees in Kenyan camps, most of them Somalis, will have their rations cut because the WFP has run out of money

NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The United Nations World Food Programme announced on Thursday that it would cut food rations for 535,000 refugees in Kenya by 20 percent because of a lack of funding.

The cuts will begin on Nov. 1 in order to stretch food stocks through to the end of the year, it said.

“We hope this will be a temporary measure as we appeal to donors to come to the assistance of the hundreds of thousands of refugees who rely on WFP to meet their daily food needs,” Ronald Sibanda, WFP country director for Kenya, said in a statement.



The WFP needs about $10 million every month to distribute more than 10,000 tonnes of food to refugees in two camps, Dadaab – the world’s largest – and Kakuma, both in northern Kenya. Most of the refugees are Somalis.



Further cuts may be necessary if no additional resources become available, Sibanda said.

The WFP also requires $20 million for January and February before a $20 million contribution from the United States arrives in March.

“We are concerned that a reduction in rations could have a negative impact on the health and nutrition of refugees who rely on the food assistance,” said Raouf Mazou, the U.N. refugee agency’s (UNHCR) representative for Kenya.

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