NAIROBI – Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki launched a US$470 million aid appeal on Friday to help millions of drought affected and hungry people, at a time when his government is mired in corruption scandals.
Kibaki blamed the hardships facing 10 million people in east Africa’s richest nation on drought, disruption from last year’s post-election violence and high fertiliser and commodity costs.
The worst-affected areas are in the arid north, near the borders with Ethiopia and Somalia, which are also affected by drought.
Critics say Kenya’s coalition government is partly to blame for the grain shortfall because of poor planning and high-level corruption involving the import, storage and sale of maize.
The government is also reeling from a graft saga involving the release of oil reserves worth about US$100 million. – Nampa-Reuters
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