Kenyan food crisis prompts emergency label

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said Friday the government is ready to declare the ongoing food crisis in the country a national emergency.

Kibaki said with at least 10 million Kenyans struggling with insufficient food supplies, the government will take steps to provide adequate nourishment to citizens of the East Africa country, The Nation in Nairobi said.

The decline in food production has been blamed mostly on two seasons of poor crops. The country has faced several droughts over the past decade.

Agriculture Minister William Ruto confirmed the government will be importing 5 million bags of corn to deal with the food shortage during the next five months.

"The government in conjunction with development partners is carrying out an assessment in this emergency situation," Ruto said following Friday's Food Security Committee meeting.

The Nation said, according to Ruto, there are currently an estimated 12.6 million bags of corn in Kenya's grain reserves.