As concerns mounted over the famine situation in parts of Kenya where over 10 people have died of famine-related causes, the Kenyan government has begun to try its every effort to get the situation caused by prolonged drought under control.

According to local media reports, Kenya's military force has been called in to offer humanitarian assistance to save over a million lives threatened by famine. A rapid response team was also deployed to provide water tankers, plastic containers and drilling rigs in 14 districts hit by the food shortage.

President Mwai Kibaki has sent out an appeal to Kenyans to step in and help. In a statement from the State House available here Saturday, the president expressed concern about the situation and assured the nation that the government was doing everything to put the matter under control.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the state would import food to avert famine related deaths. He said the government regretted the famine situation in parts of the country, which he attributed to rain failure.

Mutua said the government would do everything at its disposal to feed starving Kenyans.

He asked the provincial administration to identify and inform the government in advance about those affected by the famine instead of waiting until it was too late.

He was speaking at Kyenini and Ngaakaa villages in Makindu, Makueni district in southern Kenya, where he oversaw the distribution of relief food.

The Kenyan government directed all departments dealing with the emergency to remain open over weekends and the Christmas break to cope with the situation.

These are among a raft of measures announced by the government on Friday, a day after local media highlighted the extent of the famine ravaging several parts of the country. So far, 10 people have been confirmed dead due to starvation.

Special Programs Minister John Munyes said the military and the National Youth Service had been deployed to distribute food aid and offer medical care to affected people. However, they will first concentrate in the worst hit districts of Marsabit, Moyale, Mandera and Wajir in northeastern Kenya.

He said currently, 1.3 million people were receiving relief, but the number is expected to rise to 2.5 million in the next two months because the situation is fast deteriorating.

"The government has already moved 700,000 bags of maize to depots in the affected and nearby districts. As an additional measure, we decided to immediately double stocks to these depots to ensure a constant supply of food," said Munyes.

He said 7.5 million and 2.5 million bags of maize and beans respectively were required urgently, but assured that the country has adequate food to meet the requirement.

The announcement followed a meeting of the National Disaster and Response Management Committee, which reviewed the situation on Friday morning on the orders of President Kibaki.

Munyes also asked Kenyans to offer assistance, saying: "We could skip a meal so that we can offer something for our brothers and sisters."

He said 300 million shillings (about 4.1 million US dollars) have been committed to purchase hay for livestock as well as animals for food in the affected areas. The hay will be distributed for free.

To keep children in school, the government was also expanding the school-feeding program to bring on board an extra 540,000 children, said Munyes.

It would further spend 400 million shillings (about 5.5 million dollars) to purchase nutritional supplements and powder milk for the affected.

Agriculture Minister Kipruto arap Kirwa said the country had enough maize to last the country up to June next year. The Ministry of Finance had released 500 million shillings (about 6.8 million dollars) to buy maize from farmers, Kirwa said, and announced it would be used to buy reserves as well as for relief distribution.

Source: Xinhua