President Mwai Kibaki has appealed to the international community for assistance as famine begins to ravage drought-stricken Kenya, The East African Standard reports. Some 3.5 million people are in "dire need of food and water," with the northern and eastern pastoral regions being most severely affected by the death of livestock and crop failure. The drought, which has plagued the country for months, is also causing a standoff between Maasai herdsmen and the Kenya Wildlife Service. According to the Standard, several herders were arrested after attempting to access to water and pastureland in national parks. President Kibaki had previously granted permission to the Maasai to graze their cattle in protected areas, and pledged that the government would assist them in finding suitable grazing areas. On January 16, Reuters news service reported that in order to save their herds, some 600 Maasai led their cattle into Nairobi to feed on whatever green space is available, including roundabouts, private lawns, and even the Presidential gardens.
