KENYAN FIRST COUPLE IN PUBLIC ROW

Lucy Kibaki said a woman minister would have prevented the accidents

A public row has erupted in Kenya between President Mwai Kibaki and his wife over the handling of fires last week that left almost 150 people dead.

Mr Kibaki was forced to defend the security minister after his wife, Lucy, launched a blistering attack on him.

The first lady accused the minister of insensitivity towards victims of the fires and failing to prevent deaths through public education.

She said a woman minister would have prevented the tragedy.

Kenya has declared a week of mourning for victims of the two blazes.

The first, in a Nairobi supermarket, left at least 25 people dead. Police are investigating reports that doors were locked after the fire broke out to keep looters away.

The second happened in Molo, after an overturned road tanker caught fire and exploded, killing at least 120 people. Crowds had gathered around the tanker to collect spilled fuel.

Mrs Kibaki took exception to comments by Security Minister George Saitoti that Kenyans could learn a lesson from the disaster.

"How can dead people be taught a lesson?" she asked, after visiting victims of the tanker blaze in hospital on Monday.

The tanker caught fire as people were trying to collect its spilt fuel

The first lady accused Mr Saitoti of failing to anticipate such accidents and tackle them through public education.

"If it was a woman member of parliament in the ministry of internal security, she would have stopped this accident," she added.

But the president appeared to disagree with his wife, assuring Mr Saitoti of his "full confidence" in a speech two days later.

Mrs Kibaki has a reputation for volatile outbursts and this one was clearly embarrassing for the president, reports the BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi.

In 2005, she sparked a media furore when she stormed into the offices of a leading daily newspaper in Nairobi to protest at its portrayal of the first family.

The first couple's row also reflects public anguish over the two fires and the debate about who is to blame, our correspondent adds.