Kenya is the largest economy and most stable country in East Africa with an estimated population of 53.7 million people by end of 2020.
Kenya 2020 in Numbers
trained Community Animal Health Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest socio-economic shock in 2020, with the COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures devastating the economy, livelihoods and resilience of vulnerable communities. The political situation remained stable with the exception of inter-communal resource-based conflicts in the northern counties of Marsabit, Baringo, West Pokot and Turkana and sporadic attacks by terrorist elements still active in Lamu, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir. Displacement was also experienced because of intense rainfall which led to a rise in water levels in lakes and rivers, affecting livelihoods of surrounding communities. Access to water for both animals and humans in the arid and semi-arid lands remained constraint due extended drought conditions thereby compromising efforts in maintaining adequate hygiene and sanitation, critical in the prevention and control of life-threatening diseases such as cholera and acute watery diarrhea in children. Lastly, the desert locust invasion also caused considerable damage to crop.
Humanitarian & Development Needs addressed
The UNDP Human Development Report categorizes Kenya in the medium development category. Despite this, Kenya still had humanitarian and development needs that VSF Germany programs addressed in 2020. Some humanitarian needs that were identified include cyclic drought, floods and the desert locust invasion, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Livestock and human disease outbreaks plagued the country throughout 2020. Cholera outbreaks were reported in at least five counties. Livestock disease outbreaks, primarily zoonotic NTDs (e.g. rabies) and transboundary animal diseases (TADs) -PPR and Rift Valley Fever were reported mainly in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALS) where rangeland pastoralism is pre-dominant. In the development front, and despite Kenya being re-classified as a lower middle-income country by the IMF in 2020, development needs characterized by gaps in access to basic services (water, sanitation, hygiene, health, animal health, markets, security and protection) mainly in the ASALs were still evident.
VSF Germany’s Response
The identified humanitarian and development needs were addressed through both resilience building for development and emergency response interventions. The emergency interventions focused on improved access to basic food commodities by vulnerable households, sanitation and hygiene services and livestock health services, including rabies vaccination campaigns. Resilience building and development interventions focused on natural resources management, women and youth empowerment, improving access and management of water resources, improving access to markets through peace building and conflict mitigation initiatives, fostering public private partnerships and systems strengthening of public and community institutions. Some of the frameworks aligned to this are the global framework for eliminating dog mediated human rabies, and disaster risk management and ending drought emergencies framework. In Kenya, VSF Germany implemented projects in Marsabit, Turkana, Kajiado, West Pokot, Narok, Machakos and Nairobi counties.
Contact/ Country Director
Kenya & Somalia
With two decades of experience in programme development and the implementation of humanitarian and development interventions Maurice Kiboye is a true expert in the intervention fields of food security, livelihoods and the holistic One Health approach.
Maurice Kiboye has been part of the team since 2013.
“I draw my motivation from successful project acquisitions, project implementations and the positive feedback from beneficiaries & partners.“