The United Nations food agency will soon run out of the food necessary to feed about 3.5 million Kenyans facing shortages caused by prolonged drought, because it has received just over a tenth of the required funding, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
The World Food Programme needs $225-million until February 2007 to buy 30 000 metric tons of food each month, but has only received $28-million to date, he said.
"If we don't get any more food aid it will be a catastrophe... We are already on the edge because food is running out and we are supposed to be feeding people until February next year," Smerdon said. "If we get a break in the food pipeline then malnutrition will go up very seriously."
World Food Programme executive director James Morris is expected later in El Wak, which is seen as illustrative of the effects of prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa where a total of 11.5 million people need food aid.
Source: iol.co.za
