Kenya is a drought-prone, low-income, food-deficit country with a population of about 30 million and a per capita gross domestic product of US$280. The country suffers from a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, and is host to a large and growing refugee population. Poverty and food insecurity remain widespread especially in rural areas, but in recent years both have increased in urban areas. The 2002 UNDP Human Development Index ranked Kenya 134th out of the 173 countries assessed.
The WFP country programme document presents a programme of activities for the period 2004–2008. The country programme is based on the country strategy outline for Kenya, which was endorsed by the Executive Board in October 2002. The objective of the country programme is to strengthen the capacity of hungry poor households (especially those headed by women and children) to meet their food and nutrition needs on a sustainable basis and withstand external economic shocks and natural disasters.
The present country programme has been prepared on the basis of the United Nations Common Country Assessment for Kenya and the revised 2004–2008 United Nations Development Assistance Framework. It is designed within government policy instruments, including the Poverty-Reduction Strategy Paper, the National Poverty Eradication Plan and the National Development Plan.
Accordingly, this country programme focuses on two main outcomes, to which all activities contribute:
In accordance with decision 1999/EB.A/2, WFP focuses its development activities on five objectives. This country programme addresses four of the five Enabling Development policy strategic objectives: (a) enable poor households to invest in human capital through education and training; (b) make it possible for poor families to gain and preserve assets; (c) mitigate the effects of natural disasters, in areas vulnerable to recurring crises of this kind; and (d) enable households that depend on degraded natural resources for their food security to make a shift to more sustainable livelihoods.
WFP assistance targets an estimated 1,156,840 beneficiaries annually over the five-year period. It will focus on increasing access to basic education for all (especially girls and orphans); improving the nutritional and health status of HIV/AIDS-affected households; and contributing to the achievement of sustainable livelihoods and reduced vulnerability to disasters and food insecurity of communities in the arid and semi-arid lands.
Activities will be concentrated in those areas of Kenya with chronic food insecurity, high rates of malnutrition and high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. In line with WFP’s Enhanced Commitments to Women, at least half of all primary-school children to be assisted under this country programme will be girls. Fifty percent of benefits from food-for-asset activities will benefit women and at least half of the members on food-distribution and asset-creation committees will be women.
For the proposed Kenya country programme covering the period 2004–2008, the Executive Director requests that the Executive Board approve, on a no-objection basis and subject to the availability of resources, US$83,246,873 representing all direct operational costs.
