East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 30 April 2022; 635

Caroline Adongo on her maize farm in Kisumu that has been attacked by fall army worms. Elizabeth Ojina | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

At least 33 counties are at risk of attack, though those in Western Kenya are currently the worst affected.
Farmers are using concoctions made from detergents and fermented pepper to control the pest.

Caroline Adongo stands inside her two-acre maize farm in Nyamasaria, Kisumu County, her hands akimbo.

Her demeanour captures her frustration as her entire maize crop has been attacked by fall armyworms.

The damage caused by the insects on her farm is visible from far. Nearly all the crops have their leaves perforated by the voracious pest, a sign of severe attack.

"Two weeks ago things were worse but ongoing rains have slowed them down. This is the worst infestation of armyworms I have ever witnessed on my farm. I wonder if my crops will survive,” she said.

Caroline is among hundreds of farmers who are staring at total crop failure due to attack by fall armyworms.

At least 33 counties are at risk of attack, though those in Western Kenya are currently the worst affected, according to Dr Francis Owino, the PS, State Department for Crops Development and Agricultural Research.

Dr Owino notes the pest has currently infested 500,000 acres.

Farmers are using concoctions made from detergents and fermented pepper to control the pest.

Read: Northern Kenya stares at new invasion by desert locusts

Charles Omondi, a farmer in Muhoroni, said the worms have completely destroyed his one-acre maize field despite applying chemicals .

“They are resistant to the chemicals. I am losing hope. With the help of county agriculture officers, we sprayed the field but the insects were still aggressive,” said Omondi.

Like Omondi, Millicent Odhiambo, a farmer in Nyando, said she sprayed her farm twice but there is no change.

"I am now using a pepper concoction hoping that it will work.”

A 100ml bottle of insecticide used to contain the pest is going for KShs 700.

Some 10ml of the chemical should be mixed with 20 litres of water to spray an acre. The spraying should be repeated after two weeks, what has raised production costs for farmers.

In Kisumu, the county government has asked farmers to identify farms infested and alert agricultural officers to get the right chemicals to fight the insects.

Up to 40,000 smallholder farmers in Kisumu County have been affected by the destructive insects that have not only attacked maize but also sorghum and napier grass.

Kisumu Agriculture executive Gilchrist Okuom said more than 10,000 acres with maize have been attacked.
"We have distributed 600 litres of chemicals to farmers and trained them on how to apply,” he said.

Okuom, however, raised concern that the chemical might not be enough to combat the infestation.

Read: Farmers get compensation for locust invasion losses

"We are appealing to the national government through the Directorate of Crops to intervene and help us get more chemicals," said Okuom.

Besides Kisumu, other areas in western which have been affected are Vihiga, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Migori, Bungoma and Busia counties.

Simlaw Seed Company chief research officer Robert Musyoki called on the national government to empower small-scale farmers through training to fight the pest as well as create buffer zones to curb the spread of the army worms to other areas.

The current outbreak comes at a critical time when farmers are in the main March-May maize planting season. To stem spread of the pest, the national government has partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to train agriculture officers in affected counties.

“The ministry is training youths across affected counties as spray service providers to spray farms,” said Dr Owino.

FAO agricultural entomologist, Dr George Ong’amo, said emergency response to the African army worm outbreak is necessary to avert a food crisis.

“It is important we begin to train agriculture officers to handle the crisis we are facing,” said Dr Ong’amo. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. By Elizabeth Ojina, Daily Nation

Details: East Africa; 30 April 2022; 643

Near the banks of the White Nile in South Sudan, residents of a settlement are among the latest recipients of COVID-19 vaccines, as efforts continue to take them to more locations in the country.

The area of Mangalla hosts a settlement of internally displaced people, many of whom were affected by floods in June 2020.

Near the banks of the White Nile in South Sudan, residents of a settlement are among the latest recipients of COVID-19 vaccines, as efforts continue to take them to more locations in the country.

The area of Mangalla hosts a settlement of internally displaced people, many of whom were affected by floods in June 2020.

Lilian Hilary, 26, was among the new recipients of a COVID-19 vaccine at Mangalla settlement during African Vaccination Week, in the last week of April.

The mother of two says she had hoped to have been vaccinated earlier. “Today I am very happy that the services have been brought closer to our homes for women who cannot leave their children alone to also benefit from vaccines. We are happy that vaccines will now help protect us from getting sick from COVID-19.”

Hilary has lived in the settlement for two years with her children. Currently it is home to an estimated 90 000 internally displaced people and a host community of around 68 000 people.

To support the vaccine drive, community leaders in the area such as Bornalia Kuajo Peter are helping to reassure residents that the vaccines are safe and rally people to take them.

“I am happy my people have received the vaccine,” says Peter, the deputy community leader. “The 50 people vaccinated in less than one hour today is clearly an indication that people in my community really are waiting for the vaccines and ready to receive them.”

As he watched people get vaccinated, he stressed the need for vaccines in the area, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable people. “We want the vaccination to stay with us a little bit longer. I want all my people to receive the vaccines,” he tells a gathering of people at the vaccination site. “I have taken one in front of you as assurance as your sub-chief that these vaccines are safe, especially for old people like us. In my area,most people are aged 50 and above so I urge you all to come and take the vaccine.”

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is supporting efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to boost vaccine rollout in Africa.

Thanks to ECHO’s critical support, WHO is reaching the most vulnerable people in 15 African countries, including South Sudan, who are facing humanitarian situations such as drought, natural disasters and displacement.

Bringing COVID-19 vaccination to settlements like Mangalla spares residents from lengthy and costly cross-country trips.

Amid encouragement from leaders and some interaction with health care workers, residents trickle in to hear more about the benefits of the vaccine, to register and to be vaccinated.

Agnes Keji Mathew is registering to get her jab.“I came for vaccination because my friend told me it’s good. They say it protects me from getting sick from COVID-19 so that is why she convinced me to come with her,” she says.

Paul Pitia Alberto, 45, is a clinical nurse in Mangalla, and a team leader for the vaccination site. As he carefully prepares the shots to administer to residents, he describes the area as diverse and vulnerable to diseases. “Several communities live here after many were displaced by heavy rains, which forced them to relocate,” he says.

“People living in the settlement are very vulnerable to so many diseases which include malaria due to stagnant water, cholera due to open deification, and even worse to COVID-19 due to living conditions. If one person has COVID-19, chances of the whole family getting exposed to COVID-19 can be very high if people are not vaccinated.”

To ensure maximum reach, WHO staff in South Sudan will continue to facilitate vaccinations by reaching out to residents.

“We value our partnerships in South Sudan with people on the ground who deliver and administer health care. There is a great need here for access to COVID-19 vaccines. We are pleased to be able to bring vaccination closer to residents, many of whom were internally displaced and facing difficult living conditions,” says Dr Fabian Ndenzako, WHO Representative in South Sudan.

“The support by ECHO is making it possible to reach vulnerable populations and we look forward to working closely with our partners to administer COVID-19 vaccines in this region,” says Dr Ndenzako. - World Health Organisation

Details: East Africa; 29 April 2022; 657

Families enter Uganda via the Bunagana border crossing after fleeing violent clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that began in late March. © UNHCR/Yonna Tukundane

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and 44 humanitarian partners are urgently appealing for US$47.8 million to respond to the critical needs of thousands of refugees who arrived in Uganda this year, fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and sporadic clashes in South Sudan.

Since January, Uganda has generously welcomed over 35,000 refugees. A third of those have arrived in just the past three weeks from the DRC, fleeing intense fighting in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

As reports of violence in eastern DRC and South Sudan continue, this appeal will also strengthen Uganda’s capacity to receive more refugees in case of further displacement.

UNHCR is coordinating with the Government of Uganda and humanitarian partners to provide emergency assistance and protection to refugees in border areas, and we are making efforts to relocate them to refugee settlements as soon as possible.

Needs are surging for protection, food, shelter and essential household items. Funding will also support urgently needed health-care supplies, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services required to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

Uganda already hosts over 1.5 million refugees – the largest refugee population on the African continent – and is now receiving thousands of new arrivals from South Sudan, in West Nile State to the north, and the DRC, arriving in southwestern Uganda. While this influx may not be dominating the headlines, the challenges are significant and mounting.

The Uganda Emergency Appeal is intended to support coordinated efforts for an initial emergency response to the influx of up to 60,000 refugees in Uganda in the first half of 2022, with 45,000 new arrivals from April to June 2022. Source:UNHCR

Details: East Africa; 29 April 2022; 646

The late President Mwai KIbaki's son Jimmy Kibaki giving his tribute to the late president at the end of the funeral service at Nyayo National Stadium on April 29, 2022. Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A

"The Catholic Church endorses fully this desire," Bishop Martin Kivuva said.

In Summary

• While conveying the message at the beginning of the service, archbishop Philip Anyolo said this was in keeping with the family of the late president.

• The same message was reiterated at the end of the prayer service by Bishop Martin Kivuva.

Politicians were barred from making any political statements during rthe late President Mwai Kibaki's state funeral service at Nyayo stadium on Friday.

While conveying the message at the beginning of the service, archbishop Philip Anyolo said this was in keeping with the family of the late president.

"We wish to request that we shall have no political overtones or politics,” Anyolo said.

The same message was reiterated at the end of the prayer service by Bishop Martin Kivuva.

"It was the desire of the family of this great statesman that today's sendoff of this great statesman our dear beloved President Emilio Mwai Kibaki should be free of any political speeches," Kivuva said.

"The Catholic Church endorses fully this desire as we have been trying to keep our places of worship only for God," he added.

During a tour of the venue of the state funeral on Saturday, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i who chairs the funeral committee said that Kibaki's family had made three wishes.

The CS did not, however, elaborate the nature of the wishes.

"I wish to ask that those of us who will attend the service respect those wishes," Matiang'i said.

However, when he rose to speak, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga said it was not possible not to speak politics at the sendoff ceremony of a politician.

Raila said many politicians at the event shared his plight on that.

"My plight today is like that of a father of a padre who is asked to eulogize a bishop but not to talk about the bishop's religiosity or religion," Raila said.

"I don't know how you eulogize a politician without talking politics," Raila added. By Emmanuel Wanjala, The Star

Details: East Africa; 28 April 2022; 661

Photo Courtesy IMF

The effects of the war in Ukraine leave policymakers with little room to maneuver.

Sub-Saharan African countries find themselves facing another severe and exogenous shock. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a surge in food and fuel prices that threatens the region’s economic outlook. This latest setback could not have come at a worse time—as growth was starting to recover and policymakers were beginning to address the social and economic legacy of COVID-19 pandemic and other development challenges. The effects of the war will be deeply consequential, eroding standards of living and aggravating macroeconomic imbalances.

We now expect growth to slow to 3.8 percent this year from last year’s better-than-expected 4.5 percent, according to our latest Regional Economic Outlook. Though we project annual growth to average 4 percent over the medium term, it will be too slow to make up for ground lost to the pandemic. Inflation in the region is expected to remain elevated in 2022 and 2023 at 12.2 percent and 9.6 percent respectively—the first time since 2008 that regional average inflation will reach such high levels.

There are three main channels through which the war is impacting countries—with notable differentiation both across and within countries:

Prices for food, which accounts for about 40 percent of consumer spending in the region, are rising rapidly. Around 85 percent of the region’s wheat supplies are imported. Higher fuel and fertilizer prices also affect domestic food production. Together, these factors will disproportionately hurt the poor, especially in urban areas, and will increase food insecurity.
Higher oil prices will boost the import bill for the region’s oil importers by about $19 billion, worsening trade imbalances and raising transport and other consumer costs. Oil-importing fragile states will be hit hardest, with fiscal balances expected to deteriorate by around 0.8 percent of gross domestic product compared to the October 2021 forecast —twice that of other oil-importing countries. The region’s eight petroleum exporters, however, benefit from higher crude prices.
The shock is set to make an already delicate fiscal balancing act more difficult: increasing development spending, mobilizing more tax revenues, and containing debt pressures. Fiscal authorities generally aren’t well-positioned for additional shocks after the pandemic. Half of the region’s low-income countries are already in or at high risk of distress. Rising oil prices also represent a direct fiscal cost for countries through fuel subsidies, while inflation will make reducing these subsidies unpopular. Spending pressures will only increase as growth slows, while rising interest rates in advanced economies may make financing more costly and harder to obtain for some governments.

Countries need a careful policy response to address these daunting challenges. Fiscal policy will need to be targeted to avoid adding to debt vulnerabilities. Policymakers should as much as possible use direct transfers to protect the most vulnerable households. Improving access to finance for farmers and small businesses would also help.

Countries that can’t provide targeted transfers can use temporary subsidies or targeted tax reductions, with clear end dates. If well-designed, they can protect households by providing time to adjust to international prices more gradually. To enhance resilience to future crises, it remains important for these countries to develop effective social safety nets. Digital technology, such as mobile money or smart cards, could be used to better target social transfers, as Togo did during the pandemic.

Net commodity-importers, such as Benin, Ethiopia and Malawi, will need to find resources to protect the vulnerable by reprioritizing spending. Net exporters, like Nigeria, are likely to benefit from rising oil prices, but a fiscal gain is only possible if the fuel subsidies they provide are contained. It is important that windfalls are largely directed to strengthen policy buffers, supported by strong fiscal institutions such as a credible medium-term fiscal framework and a strong public financial management system.

To navigate the trade-off between curbing inflation and supporting growth, central banks will need to monitor price developments carefully and raise interest rates if inflation expectations drift up. They must also guard against the financial stability risks posed by higher rates and maintain a credible policy framework underpinned by strong independence and clear communication.

The need for international solidarity

The international community must step up to ease the food security crisis. The IMF’s recent joint statement with the World Bank, the United Nations World Food Programme and the World Trade Organization called for emergency food supplies, financial support, including grants, increased agricultural production and unhindered trade, among other measures.

Following through on the commitment by Group of Twenty countries to re-channel $100 billion of their IMF Special Drawing Rights allocation to vulnerable countries would be a major contribution to the region’s short-term liquidity needs and longer-term development. There are options for re-channeling SDRs, for example through the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust or the newly created Resilience and Sustainability Trust, which has received almost $40 billion in pledges.

Finally, for some countries, restoring debt sustainability will require debt re-profiling or an outright restructuring of their public debt. To make this a reality, the G20 Common Framework needs to better define its debt restructuring process and timeline, and the enforcement of the comparability of treatment among creditors. Importantly, debt service payments should be suspended until an agreement is reached.

By Abebe Aemro Selassie and Peter Kovacs IMF Blog