President appeals for food aid

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Tuesday appealed for food aid, saying many parts of his country were experiencing food shortages because of inadequate rainfall, his office said. Kibaki said meagre rainfall had seriously affected food production in several regions, but insisted that his government would ensure that food aid reached those affected, according to a statement issued by the Presidential Press Service. It did not say how much food would be needed. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) last month estimated that between 85,000 mt and 90,000 mt would be required to feed an estimated 1.4 million people for six months beginning in August. On 18 June, Ben Watkins, a programme adviser with the WFP in Kenya, told IRIN that because of the gravity of the situation, an emergency relief operation might soon become necessary in the low-lying, drought-hit areas of Eastern, Coast and the North Eastern provinces. Watkins said relief agencies were already scaling up food-for-work programmes in the northwestern Turkana District and Marsabit District in the north, where a combination of drought, banditry and cattle rustling had left tens of thousands of people dependent on food aid. A WFP spokesman told IRIN on Tuesday that the Kenya Food Security Steering Group, comprising officials from WFP, the government, the UN Children's Fund and NGOs, was preparing a report on the situation after visiting the most affected areas with a view to launching an inter-agency appeal for food aid.