NAIROBI, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Monday announced that it has disbursed 338.62 million shillings (about 2.3 million U.S. dollars) under the hunger safety net program (HSNP) in order to cushion households in drought-hit regions of the country.

Rebecca Miano, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of East African Community (EAC), Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and Regional Development, said that 119,406 needy and vulnerable households in Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Garissa and Tana River counties will benefit from the financial assistance.

"The targeted counties are among the hardest hit by the drought that lasted four consecutive failed rain seasons," Miano said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

According to the National Drought Management Authority, the number of Kenyans in need of food assistance stood at 2.8 million in August across 23 counties. Miano revealed that the sustained drought has undermined livelihoods and community coping mechanisms, making the communities identified for cash disbursements markedly vulnerable.

She revealed that the beneficiary counties are ranked the poorest and most susceptible to drought-related shocks besides having the lowest human development index.