The United Nations and humanitarian partners in Kenya are appealing for US$472.6 million to help 4.3 million drought-affected people in 2023, in support of the Government-led response, as the crisis is expected to worsen. During a visit to Garissa County on 21 November, the Deputy President of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Dr. Stephen Jackson, and the UN Environment Programme Executive Director, Inger Andersen, called on the international community to step-up their solidarity with communities who are facing the devastating consequences of the longest and most severe drought in Kenya’s recent history.
“What we are seeing in Garissa today is the human face of the climate crisis,” says Andersen. “The people of Kenya—who contribute less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gases—are bearing the brunt of global warming and urgently need our support, both now and well into the future. It is critical that climate finances are immediately unlocked to help people like those I’ve met here to rapidly adapt to their changing environment.”
