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 Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta pronounces drought a national catastrophe

Kenya's president has declared the drought, which has affected as a lot of as [*fr1] the country, a national disaster.
Uhuru Kenyatta appealed for international aid and said the government would increase food handouts to the foremost impoverished communities.
Kenya's Red Cross says 2.7 million individuals face starvation if additional facilitate is not provided.
Other countries in the region have conjointly been hit by the drought, blamed on last year's El Nino weather development.
In Somalia, nearly half the population is suffering from food shortages and therefore the United Nations says there's a risk of famine in many elements of the country.
During the last drought on this scale in 2011, famine killed about 250,000 Somalis.

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In a statement, Mr Kenyatta same the government had allotted $105m (£84m) to tackle the drought that has affected individuals, livestock and life in twenty three of Kenya's forty seven counties.
"Support from our partners would complement government's efforts in mitigating the effects of drought," he said.
Mr Kenyatta extra that all purchases of food and different things would be created in a very clear manner.
"I will not tolerate anybody UN agency would attempt to make the most of this case to rook public funds," the president said.