Kenya is among countries in the Horn of Africa facing a humanitarian emergency with more than 12 million people requiring urgent food aid and other assistance over coming months.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says 1.2 million people in Kenya alone are in need of food and are at risk of hunger, with increased food prices by 30 to 50 percent.

FAO Regional Food Security Advisor Francesco Del Re said the post election violence and inflation, which has risen to 26.6 percent, are some of the major problems influencing the food crisis in the country.

Mr Del Re said the most productive parts of the country like the Rift Valley Province were seriously affected by the post election skirmishes in January and February this year.

He noted that about 68 519 displaced people living outside established camps have been highly affected by diseases, sanitation and food shortages.

The FAO official is calling on the government and humanitarian partners to act promptly and prevent an escalation of the crises.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme said it urgently needs $400 million to prevent starvation in the east African region.

Ethiopia is worst hit, with 10 million people - some 12 percent of the population - in need of extra food supplies.

Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti are also affected, along with northern parts of Kenya and Uganda.

Economic events outside Africa, which are driving up food and fuel prices, are exacerbating the crisis caused by a lack of water in the region.

Ethiopia has nearly exhausted its food reserves, the government having used stocks already in the hope that food prices would fall, making it cheaper to replenish its stores.

Instead, costs have risen further.

More expensive fuel means the costs of transporting and distributing food have soared, and the WPF said the local price of grain is nearly three times higher than it was a year ago.

In Somalia, 2.6 million people were in need of food aid at the start of this year.