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A United States agency has donated Sh27 billion to help in the fight against drought that is ravaging many parts of the country.

The money, donated through the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), will be used to buy food and fund other forms of  critical humanitarian assistance. 

Drought has pushed over four million Kenyans to the edge of starvation, especially in arid and semi-arid counties.

Farmers in drier parts of the country have lost up to 70 per cent of crops and at least 2.4 million livestock this year. 

At least 900,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition and are in need of aid for survival, according to USAid.

A statement by USAid Administrator Samantha Power, shows the grant is expected to meet urgent needs for more than 1.1 million people across the country.

Funding will provide emergency food, including sorghum – a more readily available grain than hard-to-import wheat – yellow split peas and vegetable oil for families living in areas where local markets are not working well.  

Additionally, in areas where markets are functioning, cash for families to purchase food staples will also be provided. 

Funds will also be used to ensure adequate supply of a specialised groundnut-based nutritional supplement to treat malnourished children at mobile clinics in remote areas and  local health dispensaries and hospitals.

Supercereal Plus, a corn-soya blend food supplement designed to make porridge, will also be provided to malnourished women and children. 

 Grant will also support livestock destocking to reduce strain on overgrazed land, generating income for herders while making food resources available for communities facing starvation.

 This new assistance will provide farmers with seeds, tools and training in drought-resistant farming methods, water conservation and climate adaptation in the hope of improving yields in the next cycle.