Africa

Most of President William Ruto's plans for the economy since coming to power are in tatters.

Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali becomes the first man to defend an Olympic steeplechase title since 1936 as Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma falls late on.

Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali becomes the first man to defend an Olympic steeplechase title since 1936 as Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma falls late on.

The USA continue their charge for an eighth successive women's basketball Olympic gold medal by beating Nigeria 88-74 to reach the semi-finals.

As a row over eligibility continues to overshadow boxing at the Olympics, we take a detailed look at the background to the dispute.

Ethiopia is still counting the cost of a two-year war in the country, with around 100 athletes among the casualties of the conflict.

Ethiopia is still counting the cost of a two-year war in the country, with around 100 athletes among the casualties of the conflict.

Ethiopia is still counting the cost of a two-year war in the country, with around 100 athletes among the casualties of the conflict.

Police urge the public to stop circulating the video and remain calm as they investigate.

Niger follows Mali's lead, signalling a burgeoning rift with Kyiv.

Drought in Kenya's Ewaso Ngiro river basin in 2017 when pastoralists had to dig for water because much of the river system in Isiolo county had dried up. Credit: Denis Onyodi/KRCS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Aug 7 2024 (IPS)

Kenya contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions every year, yet development banks have flagged the East African nation as a high climate risk. This is due to extreme weather changes that are increasingly threatening the country’s development agenda, widening socio-economic inequalities, and deepening rural poverty and hunger.

Climate change is a long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns. Climate risk is the potential harm caused by climate change, such as financial, social, and environmental destruction and loss of life. Country-specific climate risk profiles are a summary of an analysis of climate trends over a long period of time, revealing how variability in weather patterns affects life and livelihoods.

Countries are advised to use these profiles to inform their development agenda, as failure to do so can significantly derail achievement of set development goals. For instance, unpredictability in weather patterns has a negative impact on certain sectors of Kenya’s economy.

This includes agriculture, tourism, horticulture, livestock and pastoralism, and forest products. Nearly 98 percent of agriculture is rain fed. Using climate risk projections, the country can invest in irrigation to reduce the impact of climate change on the sector, as approximately 75 percent of Kenyans draw their livelihood from agriculture.

Kenya’s most recent climate risk profile provides a climatic trend summary spanning two decades from 1991 to 2020, revealing that an estimated 68 percent of natural disasters in Kenya are caused by extreme climatic events, mostly floods and droughts. The remaining 32 percent represents disease epidemic.

Drought in Kenya from 2011 to 2022. Infographic: Cecilia Russell/IPS

High Temperatures Causing Frequent, Intense Droughts

Overall, 16 drought events are on record from 1991 to 2020, affecting millions of people and causing an overall estimated damage of USD 1.5 billion. Despite floods being a more recent phenomenon in Kenya they are becoming increasingly frequent, resulting in 45 flood events within the same period. While a pattern of droughts began to emerge as far back as 1975, a pattern of floods has only begun to emerge from 2012 to 2020.

A repeating pattern of droughts and floods costs the country approximately 3 to 5 percent of its annual Gross Domestic Product. Over the past two decades, Kenya’s mean annual temperature was 24.2 degree Celsius—with a high of 30.3 degree Celsius and a low of 18.3 degree Celsius.

To give a perspective of average temperatures in Kenya, 2023 was the hottest year on record and 2024 is following the trend. According to the Gilbert Ouma Associate Professor, Meteorology, University of Nairobi writing in The Conversation the capital Nairobi average temperatures fare normally moderate, between 24°C and 25°C on the higher side and 17°C-18°C on the lower side.

“These are generally very comfortable temperatures. However, in the December-January-February period, maximum temperatures are normally high, ranging between 26°C and 27°C.

“This year, temperatures in February went up to between 29°C and 30°C, even hitting 31°C. This is about 6°C higher than normal Nairobi temperatures. That is a big difference and our bodies are bound to feel the difference. If such an increase is sustained for a long time, it can lead to a heat wave.”

Droughts have been a most pressing and persistent problem in Kenya. As far back as 1975, drought cycles used to occur every 10 years. But as climate change escalates in both frequency and intensity, the drought cycle reduced from every 10 years to every five years, to every two to three years.

Each year there is an annual dry spell and a food shortage and the regularity of extremely dry periods makes it difficult for the country to recover from one drought to the next.

Temperature differences between 1901 and 2020 show a clear trend toward higher temperatures. Infographic: Cecilia Russell/IPS

A History of Drought Cycles in Kenya From 1991 to 2020

Drought is a regular occurrence in Kenya. In 1991–1992, more than 1.5 million people were affected by drought. This was followed by another cycle of widespread drought in 1995–1996 that affected at least 1.4 million people.

In January 1997, the government declared drought a national disaster, affecting more than two million people, and the famine continued into 1998. Shortly after, in 1999–2000, an estimated 4.4 million people were in dire need of food aid due to a severe famine. As far as natural disasters go, this was declared the worst in the preceding 37 years.

The 1998–2000 drought cost the country an estimated USD 2.8 billion, and this was largely due to crops and livestock loss, forest fires, damage to fisheries, reduced hydropower generation, reduced industrial production and reduced water supplies.

In 2004, failure of the March to June long rains led to a severe drought that left more than three million Kenyans in need of urgent food aid. In December 2005, the government declared drought a national catastrophe, affecting at least 2.5 million people in northern Kenya alone.

The drought in 2008 affected 1.4 million people and an overall 10 million people were at risk of hunger after an unsuccessful harvest due to drought in late 2009 and into early 2010. The severe and prolonged drought caused the country USD 12.1 billion in damages and losses, and cost over USD 1.7 billion in recovery.

There are 47 counties in Kenya. As only 20 percent of Kenya receives high and regular rainfall, Kenya’s arid and semi-arid (ASAL) areas comprise 18 to 20 of the poorest counties, which are particularly at risk from increased aridity and periods of drought.

ASAL regions have endured three significantly severe droughts from 2010 to 2020. The 2010–2011 period was severe and prolonged, affecting at least 3.7 million people, causing USD 12.1 billion in damages and losses, and costing over USD 1.7 billion in recovery and reconstruction needs.

That cycle was followed by the 2016–2017 drought. The 2020–2022 famine, which was the most severe, longest and widespread as more than 4.2 million people, or 24 percent of the ASAL population were facing high levels of acute food insecurity.

The impact on people of disasters in Kenya from 1900 to 2020. Infographic: Cecilia Russell/IPS

Overview of Natural Disaster Events in Kenya, 1991–2020

Kenya is increasingly enduring periods of intense, heavy rainfall. During this period, there were a total of 45 flood events, directly affecting more than 2.5 million people and causing an estimated damage of USD 137 million.  These events took place in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2012 and 2020, as they were short, frequent and intense.

Unlike drought and famine, Kenya’s history with floods is much shorter. There were many consecutive drought seasons from 1991 to 1997. From 1997, a pattern of floods begun to emerge in this East African country.

It all started with the historic severe and deadly El Nino floods in 1997–1998 that were widespread and affected 1.5 million people. This was followed by the 2002 floods, that affected 150,000 people. Kenya has experienced flooding almost every year from 2010 to 2020.

The impact of flooding in Kenya between 2010 and 2024. Infographic: Cecilia Russell/IPS

Projected Risk Moving Forward

“From 2020 to 2050, projections show that ASAL regions will continue to receive decreasing rainfall. Temperatures in the country will continue to rise by 1.7 degree Celsius by 2050 and even higher by approximately 3.5 degree Celsius before the end of this century. The escalation in climate change will increase our climate risk,” Mildred Nthiga, a climate change independent researcher in East Africa, tells IPS.

“We will have even more frequent and damaging floods, and this will be followed by longer periods of drought. We have already started to experience some worrisome landslides and mudslides and, this will become an even bigger concern, especially in the highlands.”

Stressing that additional soil erosion and water logging of crops will significantly affect agricultural productivity, reducing yields and increasing food security. There will also be significant economic losses, severe damage to farmlands and infrastructure.

Worse still, as already witnessed in the recent 2024 deadly floods—human causalities. This will deepen rural poverty and hunger, and derail Kenya’s progress towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Note: This feature is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

Climate change-related extreme weather jeopardizes Kenya's development agenda; even though it contributes very little to global warming, it is marked as a high-risk country by development banks.

Eliud Kipchoge will have to deal with the weather and a hilly course if he is to win a historic third successive Olympic marathon.

Eliud Kipchoge will have to deal with the weather and a hilly course if he is to win a historic third successive Olympic marathon.

Attackers came shouting the man's name before setting his cafe on fire in Belfast.

B-Girl El Mamouny is one of two representatives for her country and part of the very first cohort to enter breakdancing at the Olympics.

A baby hangs on a scale during a community health check-up and vaccination in Akosombo in the Eastern Region, Ghana, on April 28, 2022. Credit: Gavi/2022/Nipah Dennis

By Afshan Khan and Sania Nishtar
GENEVA, Aug 7 2024 (IPS)

From 11-year-old Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao to 16-year-old American gymnast Hezly Rivera, several children have reached the pinnacle of world sport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Yet at the same time, millions of other children worldwide are denied the chance to unlock their full potential simply because of a lack of access to basic nutritious diets and vaccines that prevent disease.

As young athletes impress and inspire global audiences, the Games are the perfect moment to reflect on how to level the playing field for all children. Integrating nutrition and immunisation as the cornerstones of healthy development can be a game-changer, ensuring every child is able to reach their full potential in whatever field they choose.

The conditions for healthy development include both the absence of disease and presence of adequate nutrition, creating a virtuous cycle that allows children to thrive. Vaccines trigger the strongest immunity in children who have healthy diets, while those who are malnourished are more susceptible to infectious diseases.

Unconscionably, in this day and age, both malnutrition and preventable infectious disease claim the lives of millions of children every year.

Globally, more than 14 million children are un- or under-vaccinated – an increase of 2.7 million compared with pre-pandemic levels – while almost a quarter of children under five were stunted in 2022 as a result of inadequate diets.

Yet, immunisation and nutrition interventions are proven to be amongst the most cost-effective approaches to help children survive and thrive. One dollar invested in nutrition gives a rate of return of US$16, rising to US$35 for exclusive breastfeeding, while the return on investment of immunisation in Gavi-supported countries is estimated at between US$21 and US$54 per US$1 spent.

This is especially important for low- and middle-income countries where immunisation rates are lowest, malnutrition is prevalent and resources are stretched thin. The latest UN figures show more than half of unvaccinated children live in 31 countries exposed to conflict and other vulnerabilities, disrupting access to nutrition and health services.

The same children often miss out on both nutritional supplements and essential vaccines, meaning that integrated health services would solve two problems at once.

Integrated nutrition and immunisation can be achieved either in the same clinic or community health facility, or through the same health worker.

Uganda is one country that has taken proactive action towards integration, and plans to shift to integrated provision of nutritional supplements and vaccines based on learnings from several pilot programmes.

Meanwhile, Action Against Hunger and partners in Somalia mounted an integrated campaign to address rising levels of malnutrition and disease during the prolonged drought in 2022, which affected 7.8 million people.

The campaign reached more than 200,000 children with measles vaccines, deworming treatments and vitamin A supplementation, and screened more than 185,000 children under five for wasting. Among the referral sites for severe acute malnutrition, the average cure rate was 83 per cent and malnutrition decreased significantly over the period of the campaign.

If more governments were able to adopt and scale such levels of integrated service delivery as part of primary health care, more countries could achieve Universal Health Coverage to reduce preventable deaths, ill-health and malnutrition in children.

As the world celebrates the remarkable achievements of young Olympians, the international community also has a window to transform the future of millions of children worldwide.

From the 2024 Games to Gavi’s replenishment and the , which has followed the Olympics since 2012, world leaders have the chance to invest in research and partnerships to integrate nutrition and immunisation as the fundamental components of healthy development. This is the winning formula for more children to succeed – on the track, field and pitch, and in life.

Afshan Khan, UN Assistant Secretary General and Coordinator of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement

Sania Nishtar, CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Women in Khardariya village in Dang fetching water from a community well. Credit: Tanka Dhakal/IPS

By Tanka Dhakal
KATHMANDU, Aug 7 2024 (IPS)

In the rural village of Khardariya in the Dang district of Nepal, access to clean water is a major issue. Villagers depend on one poorly managed well for drinking water, cleaning, and feeding livestock.

Anjana Yadav stood near the well while a neighbor walked toward it to fetch a bucket of water.

“At least seven families and over 400 buffaloes rely on this well; this is the water that sustains the buffaloes, and we drink it too,” she said. “In summer, the water level goes down, and we suffer more,” Anjana told IPS.

According to government data, only 27 percent of the country’s population has access to pure drinking water. However, the government’s aim is to increase the number of people using safe drinking water to at least 90 percent by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goals. But villages like Khardariya are still struggling to access enough water, let alone pure water.

“This water is not drinkable, but we don’t have any other option,” Niramala Yadava (Anjana’s daughter) says while showing the logged water around the well, “We know this water is not safe, but we’re forced to drink it, use it for cleaning, and even in the kitchen. We also have to manage for livestock too.”

Khardariya is one example where access to water is a major problem, and there are other areas where people are facing the same situation. The Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Management claims that 80 percent of people have access to drinking water, but it’s not safe as per standards. Most of them still depend on surface water sources like rivers, ponds, and these sources are not necessarily safe to drink. And often time this water led to health consequences to the community where clean drinking water is not available.

Everyday Struggle

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Health Estimates (WHO GHE), one of the largest declines in the number of deaths is from diarrheal diseases, with global deaths falling from 2.6 million in 2000 to 1.5 million in 2019. But in Nepal even though cases are in decreasing trend, water related diseases are still a major concern, GHE data shows from 2000 to 2019 above 140 thousands of diarrheal cases are recorded per year.

Diarrheal diseases are one of the top ten causes of death in Nepal. According to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), diarrheal diseases ranked seventh in 2009 and ninth in 2019 in the list of top ten causes of death.

As Anjana Yadav in Dang, Sarita Rana Magar in Solukhumbu is struggling to get drinking water from the spring sourced tap, but it is not certain that the water is clean as per government standards. “We don’t have enough access to drinking water; even to get a couple of buckets of water is hard these days,” Magar says while waiting for her turn to fill water from the community tap in Lausasa village in the Khumbu region, where mountains stand right near her village. “It takes 25-30 minutes to fill one bucket (40-liter bucket) of water, and I need at least three buckets of water every day,” Magar said while keeping her bucket under the running tap.

Problem is Not Prioritizing

Even though the Government of Nepal claims that safe drinking water is a priority issue, the facts do not align with this assertion. In recent years, the budget for safe drinking water has been decreasing while the need is growing.

Madhu Timalsina, Senior Divisional Engineer at the Ministry of Water Supply, says that the government is not keen to expand basic drinking water safety.

“According to the data we have, 73 percent of the population lacks access to safe drinking water. The target is to reach 90 percent of the population with access to safe drinking water by 2030,” Timalsina says. “We don’t have the resources to sustain ongoing programs, and meeting the goal is far from achievable at this point. Water is not a priority for the government. We need resources.”

According to the Ministry, at a time when the demand for safe drinking water is increasing, the budget is shrinking. In the current fiscal year, the Ministry received over 28 billion Nepali rupees (about USD 208 million) as their budget, which was 42 billion (USD 313 million) in the previous fiscal year.

“It seems like in the coming year, it will decrease to 22-23 billion,” Timalsina said, “We have not been able to initiate new programs in recent years due to the lack of budget. Everything is ready, but we lack the resources.”

The Federation of Drinking Water and Sanitation Users Nepal (FDWSUN), which advocates for access to safe and contamination-free water for all, believes that the government is not taking the water issue seriously. “We have been continuously trying to create pressure, but the government is not willing to listen,” said Durga Chapagain, Senior Vice President of the FDWSUN, “The majority of users are still drinking water from open sources, and there is no budget allocated for drinking water projects.”

If the government truly intends to increase access to safe drinking water for up to 90 percent of the population by 2030, the budget should be allocated accordingly, according to Timalsina.

“To meet the target, we need to cover an additional 63 percent of the population within 6 years. The target is set, but we can’t achieve anything without the budget,” he explains. “We lack the resources to meet our needs, which is the primary limitation. Additionally, our springs are drying up, and water scarcity is becoming a major issue. Unfortunately, without resources, it’s not possible to do anything.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Nigeria's women have shown resilience off the basketball court and defensive steel on it to break new ground for Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Nigeria's women have shown resilience off the basketball court and defensive steel on it to break new ground for Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Nigeria's women have shown resilience off the basketball court and defensive steel on it to break new ground for Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.