KENYA HEALTH CRISIS 'WITHIN DAYS'!

Thousands have been displaced since the election on Sunday. Kenya faces a health crisis within days if political violence in the country continues, a UK charity has warned. More than 300 people have been killed in violent clashes following disputed presidential elections on Sunday.

Medical charity Merlin said food and water supplies are "dangerously low", sparking fears of health risks from diarrhoea, infection and dehydration. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has said he is ready to form a government of national unity. However, opposition leader Raila Odinga said Mr Kibaki must step down as president and that his preferred option remains for new elections to be held.

An estimated 180,000 people have been forced from their homes and many more are too scared to venture outside since the wave of violence began. Wubeshet Woldermariam, Merlin's country director in Kenya, warned that political reconciliation must come quickly to prevent a medical emergency. He said: "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."

And Roger Yates, of charity ActionAid, said many thousands of people had been forced to leave their homes, which meant the violence was likely to have a "long-term impact" as people struggled to return to their everyday routines. He added that long-term work needs to be done within communities "to build peace between people".

Despite some indications of a reduction in the level of violence, the Foreign Office continues to advise against all but essential travel to the country. Meanwhile, sand-and-safari holidays remain suspended until the end of Monday, with UK travel companies due to confer on that day on whether to extend cancellations further into next week.

Empty jets are being flown to Kenya to bring British tourists home at the scheduled conclusion of their holidays, with about 500 coming home over the weekend and the same number expected on Monday. This would leave about 2,000 Britons in safari areas and beach resorts - mostly well away from the areas of unrest.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has 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. On Friday, Mr Miliband said: "The only way the country is going to make progress...is through the sharing of political power."
BBC NEWS REPORT.