U.N. requests aid to violence-torn Kenya

The United Nations appealed for more than 41.8 U.S. dollars in humanitarian and early-recovery aid to some 500,000 Kenyans affected by violence sparked by a contested presidential vote. The Kenyan Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan 2008, developed by 22 aid partners, including U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations, with the participation of the Kenyan government, was launched by U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes. "Initial assessments conducted by the U.N. and partners identified food, protection, shelter, water and sanitation, disease outbreak prevention, as well as non-food items as top priorities," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a press release. Tuesday's appeal could be revised in the future to reflect changes in the humanitarian situation and required response, it said. Nearly 600 people were killed and some 255,000 became displaced when violence erupted in Kenya following the announcement of the results of the Dec. 27 presidential vote. Another 6,100 Kenyans fled to neighboring Uganda. The Kenyan Red Cross Society estimates that the number of people affected could be as high as 500,000.