A tweet published here claims that the number of Kenyans affected by the recent droughts is allegedly 7.5 million.
Background
Misinformation around the climate crisis which is the ongoing drought in Kenya and the Horn of Africa has recently been on the rise. Piga Firimbi debunked some of these claims, including one exaggerating the number of counties affected here, another claim that used an unrelated image claiming to show President William Ruto issuing food here.
Verification
The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in October 2022 issued a statement which indicates that the number of Kenyans affected by the ongoing drought is 4.35 million. The same figure is reiterated in a UN statement, indicating that 4.3 million people in Kenya are in need of humanitarian aid due to drought. The statement is based on a speech by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on September 21, 2022.
“In Kenya, more than 4.3 million people need humanitarian assistance. Almost 1 million children under age 5 are acutely malnourished. Like others I was in Turkana, where we saw vividly the end for generations of a way of life,” he said.
Verdict
Claims that 7.5 million Kenyans have been affected by drought are FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by Africa Uncensored with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, International Fact-Checking Network, and African Fact-Checking Alliance network.
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