Drought adds to humanitarian woes in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Helping Kenyans tackle the challenges of climate change could alleviate some humanitarian issues plaguing the country, a U.N. official said.

Valerie Amos, the U.N. under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a visit to Kenya that drought was complicating humanitarian issues in the country.

"Continued efforts to reduce the humanitarian impact of drought will ensure the sustainable recovery of livelihoods and restore local coping mechanisms to enable populations to deal with the recurring problem of drought," she said in a statement.

Drought-related food and water shortages in Kenya, said Amos, could be avoided if farmers used better irrigation and managed their livestock through better disease-control practices.

She added that many rural Kenyans were migrating to population centers that can't cope with the influx of people.

"These migrants end up in slums that have their own problems -- congestion, limited service delivery, poor shelter and lack of or limited water and sanitation facilities," she warned.