NAIROBI -- About two million people in Kenya are in need of food assistance, a situation exacerbated by the ongoing heavy rains that have led to the displacement of thousands of people, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.

According to the NDMA's March update, the affected individuals are spread across 23 arid and semi-arid counties in the country. "Acute malnutrition has also been noted across the counties with 847,932 children aged six to 59 months and 124,359 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers malnourished acutely and in need of treatment," the NDMA said.

The heavy rains in April have further worsened the situation, causing displacement and destruction of roads in arid counties. Kenyan authorities have reported that at least 169 people have died due to flooding, with about 200,000 individuals displaced across the nation.

The NDMA has called for the provision of regular food assistance and unconditional cash transfers, particularly targeting vulnerable groups in flood-prone areas.

According to the United Nations World Food Program, an estimated 54 million people across Eastern Africa were food-insecure in March, with hotspot countries including Sudan (17.7 million), Ethiopia (15.8 million), and South Sudan (5.7 million).