Kenya listed among food-insecure countries in Global Hunger Index

Kenya is among the food-insecure countries listed in the Global Hunger Index (GHI), released in 2019, according to a news report by Capital FM.

Despite government efforts to achieve food and nutrition security by 2022, Kenya falls at a position of 86 out of 117 countries reviewed in the GHI.

'Concern Worldwide' and 'Welthungerhilfe', whose mission is to eradicate hunger, jointly produce the GHI report every year to track hunger levels around the world.

"The latest data available show that while we have made progress in reducing hunger on a global scale since 2000, we still have a long way to go. Of the 117 countries with GHI scores, levels of hunger are still serious or alarming in 47 countries and extremely alarming in one country," the report stated.

According to Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Kenya is classified as a food deficit country and 1 in every 3 Kenyans suffers from chronic food insecurity and poor nutrition annually while approximately 29 percent of the population does not attain the minimum dietary requirements to sustain a healthy life.

Kenya is hit by drought every few years and has struggled to prevent hunger despite numerous projects to bolster people living in arid lands who traditionally depend on livestock. The number of people in need of food aid has risen by almost 70 percent to 1.1 million since August due to poor rains in October and November, the government says.