David Otieno

But we are not seeing any rains," says David Otieno, program manager for Food for the Hungry International (FHI) who is based at Marsabit in northern Kenya.

Some 60 million people in 33 countries are faced with food crisis, according to FAO's new report released this week, 16 of which are in Africa.In many countries hit by drought, the price of milk and meat have skyrocketed, as begging continue to increase, according to the UN World Food Program (WFP).

The FAO report blames the food shortages on civil strife and natural disasters.The countries affected by civil strife in Africa include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Burundi and Guinea.

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The rain failures in northern Kenya, according to Otieno, has sparked the movement of nomadic communities in search of water for their families and animals."As they move, things are not getting any better," He told IPS.

The WFP this week appealed for more donations for some 4.4 million Kenyans, affected by drought, before the current stocks dry up.

Last month, a UN inter-agency mission and Kenyan authorities launched a joint appeal for food relief for Kenyans affected by drought, but it's yet to receive responses from donors.

So far, the WFP says it has received some 34,000 tons of maize from the United States and is expecting the arrival of some 19,000 tons of maize donated by Japan, at the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.

But we are not seeing any rains," says David Otieno, program manager for Food for the Hungry International (FHI) who is based at Marsabit in northern Kenya.

Some 60 million people in 33 countries are faced with food crisis, according to FAO's new report released this week, 16 of which are in Africa.In many countries hit by drought, the price of milk and meat have skyrocketed, as begging continue to increase, according to the UN World Food Program (WFP).

The FAO report blames the food shortages on civil strife and natural disasters.The countries affected by civil strife in Africa include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Burundi and Guinea.

...
The rain failures in northern Kenya, according to Otieno, has sparked the movement of nomadic communities in search of water for their families and animals."As they move, things are not getting any better," He told IPS.

The WFP this week appealed for more donations for some 4.4 million Kenyans, affected by drought, before the current stocks dry up.

Last month, a UN inter-agency mission and Kenyan authorities launched a joint appeal for food relief for Kenyans affected by drought, but it's yet to receive responses from donors.

So far, the WFP says it has received some 34,000 tons of maize from the United States and is expecting the arrival of some 19,000 tons of maize donated by Japan, at the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.