NAIROBI, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of Kenyans facing food insecurity and requiring humanitarian assistance remains alarmingly high at 1.8 million, with arid regions continuing to bear the severe effects of climate change, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said Tuesday.

The NDMA said in a report released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that those affected are mainly in the 23 arid and semi-arid counties of the East African nation.

"The counties of Wajir, Garissa, Turkana, Marsabit, and Mandera have the highest proportions of food insecure populations," said the government agency responsible for mitigating drought effects.

The institution noted that the number of affected people has leveled at 1.8 million since November 2024, with levels of acute malnutrition remaining elevated in several arid counties, including Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Baringo, and Turkana.

Some 479,498 children aged six to 59 months as well as 110,169 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers were currently acutely malnourished and in need of urgent treatment, according to the NDMA.

The agency observed that the worsening nutrition trend in affected counties resulted from inadequate and unbalanced food intake due to high poverty and disease prevalence. Enditem

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