KENYA INTER AGENCY RAPID ASSESSMENT MANDERA COUNTY CONFLICT ASSESSMENT REPORT 19TH 30TH JUNE 2014 KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 1
1. CONTEXT Mandera County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya, located in the north - eastern part of Kenya and borders Ethiopia to the north, Somalia Republic to the east and Wajir County to the south. It is about 1,100km from the capital city of Nairobi by road. The county has an approximate population of 1,025,756 and covers an area of 25,991.5 km 2. The County is subdivided into six sub counties namely Mandera West, Mandera South, Banissa, Mandera North, Mandera East and Lafey, which are further sub divided into 30 administrative wards. The county has 5 community groups namely Garre. Murule, Degodia, Marehan and Muhamad Zuber. The county has had recurrent inter- clan conflicts in the past years over natural resources, administrative boundaries and politics. The Garre and Murulle have violently clashed in the past (1983/4, 2001/5 and 2007/8). The county was part of the Northern Frontier Districts (NDF) that took part in the Shifta wars has seen proliferation of small arms and light weapons, Terrorism by militia groups 1. Mandera is characterized by low- lying rocky hills located on the plains that rise gradually from 400 meters above sea level in the south at Elwak, to 970 meters above sea level with the border with Ethiopia. The rest of topography is low- lying, characterized by dense vegetation with thorny shrubs of savannah type. Especially along the foothills of isolated hills, that are covered by bushes, shrubs, boulders and invasive mathenge coverage. The flat plains make drainage very poor, causing floods during heavy rain. There are no lakes, swamps or dams but earth pans are common in the county. River Daua, covering a distance of approximately 150km along the border, is a trans- boundary river whose source is the Ethiopian highlands, flows eastwards along the county s boundary with Ethiopia and through Malkamari, Rhamu Dimtu, Rhamu, Libehia, Khalalio and Township wards into Somalia at Border Point One (BP1). Ecological Conditions There are two ecological zones in the county namely Arid and Semi- arid. 95% of the county is semi- arid with dense vegetation mainly thorny shrubs and bushes along foots of isolated hills and mathenge trees along river banks and gullies. 1 CRECO 2012 KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 2
2. OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION AND CRISIS a. Background of the situation Tension has been mounting since March 2014 along Wajir- Mandera border with the main cause reported to be dispute over territorial boundaries between the two counties. The county government and other stakeholders have intervened through inter- county dialogues but the interventions have been disrupted by attacks and counter- attacks by the warring clans. This has lead to population movements, family displacement, schools closed and health centers inaccessible. The conflict has had an impact on livelihoods, food security, education, vulnerable groups and health. 2 The following casualties and deaths occurred in the month of May as a result of the clan conflict. 13 th May (Burmayo 3deaths), 15 th may (Towfiq 5 casualties, 5 deaths), 16 th May (Gunana 1 casualty, 1 death),19 th May(Manyatta 4 casualties, 3 deaths), 21 st May (18Kms from Guba- Banissa 1 casualty, 1 death), 28 th May (Karsahama 5 casualties, 2 deaths). The clan conflict has been compounded by increased attacks by Al- Shaabab militia in Mandera town and some parts of Lafey sub- county. Carjacking reportedly increased during the month of May. After analysis of the available secondary data, the decision to activate KIRA was reached in a stakeholders meeting. Kenya Red Crescent Society (KRCS), the lead agency for the assessment, formed an assessment team with different humanitarian actors active in the county. The stakeholders include: 1. The Mandera County Government Ministries of Public Service and Agriculture. 2. The Kenya Red Cross Society.(Lead Agency) 3. ACTED Kenya 4. Islamic Relief Kenya b. Affected areas and populations Despite the incidences happening mainly in Mandera- West and South, there was high movement of population from neighboring sub- counties, like Banissa, to areas believed to be safe. Because of protracted conflicts, the population opts to move far away from the border areas of Wajir County with their livestock, which was targeted by the attacking groups. 2 KRCS rapid assessment report KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 3
The table below shows the approximate figure from the County authorities for population displaced as a result of the conflicts in four sub- counties: Sub- county Ward Displaced HH Displaced people Total pop. % IDPs Mandera south 3 486 28,585 278,216 10% Shimbir fatuma 1,036 8,495 Wargadud 1,425 11,685 Fincharo 255 2,091 Kutulo 770 6,314 Mandera west 7,741 63,476 181,162 35% Dandu 1,564 12,825 Takaba south 1,457 11,947 Takaba north 639 5,240 Lagsure 1,461 11,980 Derkale 2,550 20,910 Gither 70 574 Mandera North 3 490 4,018 169,675 2% Rhamu dimtu 250 2,050 ola 200 1,640 Murutho 40 328 Banissa 3,540 29,028 177,607 19% Banissa 1,315 10,783 Guba 720 5,904 Kiliwaheri 385 3,157 Malkamari 1,120 9,184 Total 15,257 125,107 806,660 16% Source: Mandera County Government: Ministry of Public Service, Cohesion and Integration 3. METHODOLOGY: Brief description of the data collection methods The Kenya Initial Rapid Assessment (KIRA) is a multi- sector, multi- agency mechanism whose purpose is to provide a fast overview of a humanitarian situation, in order to: Support evidence based decision making in the early stages of a humanitarian response. To provide an understanding of how humanitarian needs vary across different affected groups. To identify where gaps may exist between needs and local/national capacity to respond. To identify further detailed information needs. The full methodology is described in the KIRA guideline available on the following link: https://kenya.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/kira Manual.pdf 3 The figure for Mandera North included only 3 sub locations. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 4
a. Assessment approach The assessment approach consists of three key elements: The use of secondary data A combination of pre crisis and in crisis secondary data has been used to contextualize the primary data collected and understand the impact of the current crisis on the affected population. The use of primary data and a community level assessment The KIRA methodology used three different tools for primary data collection: - - - Community Group Discussion male and female Key Informant Interview at administrative level Direct Observation at site level. For this assessment, the mobile phone for data collection were not available and all the data have been enter in the excel database. Joint analysis 4 The aim of the joint analysis session is to agree as a group on assessment findings, priorities and recommendations. The field assessment participated in the joint analysis as well as expert from the KIRA core group. b. Assessment team composition NAME ORGANISATION CONTACT Hassannoor Adan County Team leader hassannooru@yahoo.com Hassan Mumin Islamic Relief hassan.mumin@islamic- relief.or.ke Pauline Akoth Mohamed Adan Kenya Red Cross County Government 0724 294 777 0722 959 054 Abdimumin Maow Acted 0714 075 677 c. Sites visited A purposive sampling approach has been used to select sites to be assessed. The living arrangement and the geographical repartition have been the two main criteria for the site selection. The following tables show the number of sites and their geographical repartition. BANISSA MANDERA WEST MANDERA SOUTH MANDERA NORTH Total Resident hosting displaced persons 1 0 1 0 2 Displaced people in host families 3 2 3 3 11 Total number of CGD 4 2 4 3 13 4 Joint here means multi- sector and multi- stakeholder. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 5
Male Female Total Resident hosting displaced persons 1 1 2 Displaced people in host families 6 5 11 7 6 13 In total, 8 sites have been selected in Didkuro, Sake, Kiliwehiri, Shimbir- fatuma, Eymole, Fincharo, Olla and Rhamu Dimtu sub locations. Normally, for each site, the team should conduct one female and one male Community Group Discussion (CGD) and one Direct Observation (DO). During the assessment, different factors prevented the team in implementing the entire methodology. 13 CGDs instead of 16 CGDs and 3 DOs instead of 8. The team also interviewed 7 key informants (Chiefs and opinion leaders) in Didkuro, Gither, Kiliwehiri, Shimbir- fatuma, Eymole, Olla and Rhamu Dimtu locations. NOTE: The Assessment team selected the locations with the biggest number of displaced people to conduct community group discussions. It is assumed that the needs in the area with lower number of IDPs are less pressing. d. Map KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 6
4. PRIORITY NEEDS / KEY FINDING a. Priorities needs Each Community Group was asked to rank their 3 highest priority needs for intervention. The calculation of the main priority per sub county is derived from the theory of election system, the Borda count. 5 In all the sites visited, food was reported as the first priority, followed by water access and shelter. No major difference was observed between resident or displaced people. This could be explained by the already fragile situation in Madera county before the crisis and also the burden on residents who host displaced familiesand share their limited resources. In the assessed sites, it was reported that some residents were hosting up to 5 displaced families. Food security Water Shelter Sanitation BANISSA MANDERA WEST MANDERA SOUTH MANDERA NORTH All SUB COUNTY Number of CDG 4 2 4 3 13 High Moderate Low Mandera County was already in IPC phase 2 (Stressed) between April to June, with deterioration predicted between July and September in some areas (IPC Phase 3 Crisis) according to FEWSNET. The current conflict negatively impacts an already difficult food security situation. b. Priority Vulnerable Groups Each Community Group was asked to rank the 3 most vulnerable groups to the current crisis. The calculation of the main vulnerable group per Sub County is derived from the theory of election system, the Borda count. Children, pregnant and lactating women have been reported as the most vulnerable to the crisis and request a specific attention during the response. This could be linked to the precarious nutrition situation in Mandera before the conflict. Children Pregnant and lactating women Elderly (>59 years old) BANISSA MANDERA WEST MANDERA SOUTH MANDERA NORTH All SUB COUNTY Number of CDG 4 2 4 3 13 High Moderate Low 5 The Borda count determines the most preferred items of an election by giving each response a certain number of points corresponding to the position in which it is ranked by each respondent. Once all preferences have been counted, the item with the most points is determined as the most preferred. See ACAPS Resources: http://www.acaps.org/resourcescats/downloader/heat_maps_as_tools_to_summarise_priorities/69 KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 7
c. Keys findings Approximately 125,107 people are displaced due to the conflict and are in host families. Mandera West is hosting around 50 per cent of the displaced population. There is no major difference between residents hosting displaced people and the displaced people as they are all sharing the same limited resources. 6 The conflict occurred when the population of Mandera County was already food insecure due to below than average 2103 short rains and 2014 long rains. Food security is the main priority for the affected population, access to safe water the second priority and access to shelter the third. The markets have been affected by the conflict with price increases and below- normal availability of food and other commodities. Livelihoods is not an immediate priority due to the lack of security but a support to restart livelihood activity will be needed when the situation will return to normal. Basic non- food items (NFIs) are needed for most of the displaced people as they were not able to carry their belongings. Mosquito nets, blankets and kitchen sets are the main priorities. Insecurity is the main constraint for children not going to school. The women reported more critical coping mechanisms than male like skipping entire days without eating The lack of safe water has caused water borne diseases like Diarrhea. Open defecation has been reported and observed in most of the sites visited due to lack of household latrine. The nutrition situation in the county was serious to very critical before the crisis. A nutrition survey is needed to get a better understanding of the current situation and gaps. Access to health facilities has not been reported as a main concern but more information is needed to check if the capacity of the Health Centre is sufficient to cover the needs of the host community and newly displaced people. d. Recommendation for immediate response A scale- up of the current food assistance for displaced people and residents indirectly affected by the conflict. A focus should be on households with young children and pregnant and lactating women. Distribution of NFIs and shelter kits is needed to reduce the pressure on the host community. Increase safe water access in area with high density of displaced people by building new infrastructure, repairing of existing water points and water trucking in the worst- affected areas. Construction of emergency latrines in affected areas is important to reduce open defecation in area with high population density (residents and displaced people) Improve level of coordination and collaboration between all actors for improved response and service delivery. 6 The limited number of site for the resident hosting displaced people didn t allow more precise analysis. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 8
As soon as the security situation improves, support to restart livelihood activities will be needed for the displaced people. e. Strategic recommendation Continuous promotion of peace- building is needed in Mandera County. Increase security at schools in order to protect children from violence. Assess the need for psycho- trauma support in the school s affected by violence. 5. SECTORAL BREAKDOWN a. Food Security and livelihood Mandera County can be divided into three livelihood areas (NDMA 2014.05): - Agro- pastoral in the western part - Irrigated cropping in the northern part - Pastoral in the eastern part Due to below average short and long rains in 2013 and 2014, the food security situation was categorized as IPC Phase 2 (Stressed) between April to June and IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) in some localized areas of the county between July to September (FEWSNET May 2014). April to June July to September FEWSNET 05.2104 In the May 2014 early warning bulletin, NDMA noted that the situation was deteriorating with alarming levels reached in the Pastoral and Irrigated cropping areas. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 9
According to WFP in May 2014, 134,000 people were food insecure and in need of assistance before the current crisis. Mass in- migration of livestock has been witnessed from Mandera South to Western parts and Lafey and Rhamu to Ashabito and Gari location respectively and reported by in NDMA bulletin in May 2014. This is mainly due to the depletion of pasture in those parts of the county. Reduction in livestock prices was reported. The decrease in prices is attributed to deteriorating body condition and lack of access roads due to clan conflicts. According to key informants interviewed in the affected area, livelihood strategies have been affected by the conflict. The table below shows the main reasons. Total Reduce access to market to sell goods 100% Security concerns 100% Lack of cash to invest in livelihood activities 57% Number of Key Informant Interview 7 The current crisis is an aggravating factor to an already fragile food security situation. In all the 13 community group discussions (CGD), food security was reported to have been adversely affected by the current crisis. The communities assessed are mainly relying on the market to get food as no CGD reported having food stock now. However, only 5 CGD out of 13 reported to be able to meet their food needs in the market. This situation is mainly due to lack of money to buy food and the high prices in the market. All CGD Community able to access essential food in the market 31% Number of CDG 13 Main reasons All CGD Cannot afford food 78% Food not available in the market 22% Number of CDG 9 The price increase could be explained by the concentration of livestock in small areas, which has led to low milk availability and sharp increase in prices. The main access road between Mandera and Nairobi via Wajir is not accessible due to insecurity. There is fear that the opponent clan who occupy Wajir County will attack. Most vehicles access Nairobi through Moyale which is far in terms of distance, contributing to increase in food prices. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 10
The following graph shows the coping strategies used by the affected community: Reported(coping(mechanism((out(of(13(CGD)( Purchase#food#on#credit# Rely#on#less#preferred/expensive#foods# Restrict#adult#consump=on#for#small#children# Limit#por=on#size#at#meal=mes# Reduce#number#of#meals#eaten#in#a#day# Borrow#food#/rely#on#help#from#a#friend#or#rela=ve# 0%# 10%# 20%# 30%# 40%# 50%# 60%# 70%# 80%# 90%#100%# Any critical coping strategy, like skipping entire days without eating or eating wild foods, has been reported. 11 out 13 CGDs reported reduction in the number of meals eaten in a day and all mentioned that they rely on friends or relatives to get food. Food distribution is the priority action recommended by the community assessed in order to solve their immediate needs. The second and third priorities, return to place of origin and restart livelihood activities, are linked with more mid- term interventions. BANISSA MANDERA WEST MANDERA SOUTH MANDERA NORTH Total Food distribution Return to place of origin Restart livelihood activities Distribution of cooking set Number of CDG 4 2 4 3 13 High Moderate Low The County government has started food distribution that can sustain the IDPs for about three weeks. b. Nutrition The nutrition situation in Mandera was already critical before the current conflict with GAM rate above emergency level (14%) in Mandera East, North and Central according to a SMART survey done in 2013. The estimated GAM caseload of the nutrition sector in 2014 is 53,597 children under 5 years old. According to NDMA, 22.1% of the children were at risk of malnutrition in May 2014 (MUAC <135 mm). Even if the rate is in line with the 5- year- average, the situation is precarious for the young children and any external shock might have negative impact on their nutrition status. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 11
The displacement and the lack of privacy have generally a direct effect on breastfeeding practices. This has been confirmed in some of the sites assessed with requests for infant formula to feed small children from mothers. A specific situation has been reported in Fincharo (Mandera South sub county) where, the displaced people reported that their children are not fully benefiting from the nutritional supplement provided by the dispensary because they are not registered in the centre. The dispensary needs to be urgently restocked as if cannot cater for the increased number of malnourished children. c. Water and sanitation Before the crisis the coverage was low with 39.6% of the population having access to safe water, lower than the national coverage rate. 7 The communities assessed are mainly using earth pans to access drinking water but Kiliweheri and Sake location are already relying on water trucking. 10 CGDs reported a problem with quantity of water and 6 with the quality. In addition, 12 CGDs reported high prevalence of diarrhea, which is linked to unsafe water and poor hygiene practices. The quantity of drinking water has reportedly decreased according to 10 CGDs and stayed the same in 2. The distance to collect water is not perceived as a main constraint, 12 CGDs mentioned that they need less than one hour to fetch water (go, wait and back). In most areas there were inadequate jerricans for fetching water with displaced population borrowing from relatives and host communities. 7 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 12
According to the communities, the construction of new water infrastructure will be the best solution to address water issues. The latrines coverage is low with less than 20% in most parts of the county and the highest coverage in Mandera East (38%) (LRA 2011). This low coverage could explain why 8 out of 13 CGDs reported open defecation practices. This was also confirmed by direct observation. d. Education The Education sector has been seriously affected by the conflict; eighteen (18) schools have been closed down in Mandera- west sub- county, six (6) schools in Mandera- North and eleven (11) schools closed down in Banissa sub- County. According to the key informants interviewed in 7 locations, insecurity is one of the main constraints to access school and explains the high number of schools closed during the assessment. Reported(issues(affec/ng(access(to(school((out(of(7(KII)( Students#have#been#displaced# Teachers#have#been#displaced# Not#safe#to#get#to#school# Schools#are#closed# 0%# 10%# 20%# 30%# 40%# 50%# 60%# 70%# 80%# 90%# In the 7 locations assessed, only 12% of the schools remained opened. This would have an impact on protection and safety for children of school- going age. It will also affect the performance of the children in the National Examinations at the end of the calendar year. e. Shelter/NFI Despite the fact that no spontaneous settlement has been reported due to the conflict, the situation regarding shelter is really precarious. Some residents are hosting up to 5 displaced families and all the KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 13
communities assessed reported overcrowded shelters. Some women complained that there was insufficient privacy with men resorting to sleeping in the open in some areas. The worst- affected areas are Sake, Fincharo, Rhamu- dimtu, Shimbir- fatuma and Kiliwehiri. The displaced population has no access to mosquito nets. Access to fire wood in some areas like Takaba has been difficult due to insecurity fears. Reported(items(urgently(needed((out(of(13(CGD)( PlasAc#SheeAng# Blankets# Ma;ress# Kitchen#sets# Mosquito#Nets# 0%# 10%# 20%# 30%# 40%# 50%# 60%# 70%# 80%# 90%# 100%# The following heat map shows that provision of shelter kits and basic NFI as priority needs to reduce the pressure on the host families. BANISSA MANDERA WEST MANDERA SOUTH MANDERA NORTH Total Distribution of shelter kit Basic NFI distribution Cash grant Shelter rehabilitation Number of CDG 4 2 4 3 13 High Moderate Low f. Health The community assessed reported a good access to health facilities but 12 out 13 CGDs reported a prevalence of Diarrhea. Time to access health facilities Total Functioning health facility at site 46% Up to 30 min 46% 30m to 1 hour 8% Number of CDG 13 However, the communities assessed have reported no injury due to the conflict. Population movement might impact the capacity of the health facilities to cover the entire population with an appropriate number of health staff and medicine. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 14
6. CROSS CUTTING ISSUES a. Gender The KIRA methodology has been designed to capture specific needs of the women by conducting separate male and female community group discussion. For the current assessment, no major discrepancy has been observed between the needs for male and women. Nevertheless, more negative coping strategies have been reported by female CGD like skipping entire days without eating or feeding working members of the household at the expense of non- working member. In addition, there is a lack of privacy that affects the women, some report they are obliged to sleep in the open and cannot use the community latrine when available. The response plan should take into account the specific needs of the women in order to reduce those negative impacts. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 15
7. RESPONSE CAPACITY During the assessment, only 6 out 13 CGDs mentioned that assistance has been provided recently. The following graph shows the sector covered by the assistance. However, the affected community said the assistance received was inadequate to meet the needs. Before the current crisis, 134,000 people were already targeted for food assistance and nutrition programmes were in place. The current crisis will require additional resources in order to cover the needs of the affected population. The County government has started food distribution that can sustain IDPs for about three weeks but the number of household targeted is not known yet. 8. OPEATIONAL CONSTRAINTS The KIRA team was informed in some locations that a local organisation was not able to conduct the registration because most of their workers belong to the fighting local communities. This means that the ability to provide humanitarian relief will depend on how the organisation is perceived by the affected community. 9. INFORMATION GAPS The number of affected people by the crisis is still approximate as only one CGD mentioned that registration has been completed and 7 CGDs out of 13 mentioned that no registration has been done or planned. The KIRA methodology could not provide reliable information on nutrition but a decline in malnutrition rates is anticipated. The nutrition actors should plan a SMART survey in order to capture the current needs o mitigate malnutrition. KIRA Mandera assessment June 2014 16