In Kenya, 14 starved to death

At least 14 people have died of hunger in Kenya's north-eastern Turkana region as several African countries continue to suffer through the worst drought in decades. These are the first reported hunger-related deaths in the country's current regional drought. The deaths came after the government failed to transport supplies to three remote villages in the drought-hit areas. Kenyan Labor Minister John Munyes says the death toll would have been higher if the Red Cross was not distributing aid in the affected region. "It would have been a disaster," he said. The United Nations says starvation threatens more than four million Kenyans in the region. The drought which is said to be the worst in decades, has affected about 12 million people across the Horn of Africa. According to the world body, the drought has been caused by a lack of rainfall over successive years. Other countries affected by drought are Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Somalia is the worst affected country with about 1,300 Somalis, mostly women and children, are crossing into Kenya each day in search of food. Some 3.2 million people in Somalia are in need of immediate life-saving assistance