Charity: 'Kenya facing health emergency'

Kenya will face a health emergency within days if the wave of political violence in the east African state is not halted, a UK-based charity warned today.

With an estimated 180,000 people forced from their homes and many more too scared to venture outside, supplies of food and clean water are running “dangerously low”, sparking fears of health risks from diarrhoea, infection and dehydration, said medical aid charity Merlin.

The warning came as Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki indicated he was ready to form a government of national unity in order to bring an end to a week of political violence which has claimed more than 300 lives.

Meanwhile, sand-and-safari holidays remained suspended until the end of Monday, with UK travel companies due to confer that morning on whether to extend cancellations further into next week.

Despite some indications of a dropping-off in the level of violence on the ground, the Foreign Office continued to advise against all but essential travel to Kenya.

Empty jets are being flown out to the country to bring British tourists home at the scheduled conclusion of their holidays, with around 500 coming home yesterday and today and the same number expected on Monday, leaving around 2,000 in safari areas and beach resorts – mostly well away from the areas of unrest.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband last night urged Mr Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to come together in a power-sharing agreement, warning that more people would die if they refused to compromise.

And there were signs of movement today after the intervention of US envoy Jendayi Frazer, who has met both men. Following her talks with Mr Kibaki, the president’s spokesman released a statement saying he was “ready to form a government of national unity that would not only unite Kenyans but would also help in the healing and reconciliation process”.

Mr Odinga, who claims he was robbed of victory in the presidential poll by vote-rigging, told a news conference he had not received any formal offer from the government, but added: “Let them put that on the table when we are negotiating.”

Wubeshet Woldermariam, Merlin’s country director in Kenya, warned that political reconciliation must come quickly to avert a medical emergency.

He said: “Thousands of people are too scared to leave their homes due to the violence erupting outside. Seven days into the crisis, food and clean water supplies are now running dangerously low, especially in and around Kisumu.

“People are being forced to drink unsafe water, risking diarrhoeal diseases, infection and severe dehydration. The longer the crisis continues, the greater the risk to people’s health. If peace isn’t restored within the next few days, disease and severe dehydration are very real threats.”

With Dr Frazer expected to hold further discussions with Mr Odinga, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg called on the USA for “clarity” over its stance on the Kenyan situation.

Washington raised no apparent objection to President Kibaki’s hurried inauguration last weekend and delayed any acknowledgement of his role in the disputed outcome of the election, costing the international community vital time when it could have been pressing him to think again, said Mr Clegg.

And he added: “It is now time to press for a full retallying of the constituency results or, as a minimum, an independent review of the election outcome under the threat of international actions such as targeted sanctions.

“The US envoy must clearly signal that Washington’s knee-jerk support for President Kibaki has ended and that it is prepared to lead a tougher international response to avoid further descent into a humanitarian crisis for all the Kenyan people.”