A day after his government ordered troops to the affected areas to help distribute much-needed food and water, Kibaki said the administration had released 40 million dollars (33.6 million euros) to assist but called on Kenyans and foreign donors to fill a 100-million-dollar (84-million-euro) shortfall in needs.

"To meet this gap, I am therefore appealing to the Kenyan public and development partners to come forward and make a contribution to this noble cause," he said in a statement released by his office.

"As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember those of our people who are experiencing food and water shortages," Kibaki said, amid dire warnings that the number of needy could reach 2.5 million by February, almost double the current figure of 1.3 million.

He said that 7.5 million bags of maize and 2.5 million bags of beans were being sent to affected districts but that "the population in need continues to increase due to the rapidly worsening conditions."

He said money was required to buy and distribute supplies of staple foods as well as powdered milk, nutritional supplements and livestock fodder.

Kibaki's statement came as photos of malnourished children and rotting animal carcasses appeared in newspapers for the second day and as officials continued to offer conflicting reports about the severity of the situation that some predict may result in famine.

On Friday, Kenya's Special Programmes Minister John Munyes announced that the military had been deployed to assist in relief operations in 17 districts.

But he and three other cabinet colleagues downplayed claims from local politicians that the situation was spiralling out of control and that 12 people had already died from starvation.

Munyes, along with some aid workers, said the number and cause of the deaths reported in northeastern Kenya -- an arid region that neighbors equally drought-plagued Somalia and has experienced chronic food shortages in recent years -- was not clear.

"Yes, we are getting normal reports of death, but it is hard to link the deaths to any new food shortages given that the region has experienced food shortages for some time," said an official with the Kenya Red Cross Society.

On Saturday, as most people in heavily Christian Kenya prepared to celebrate Christmas, Nairobi's two leading dailies accused the government of being too slow to respond to deteriorating conditions.

"Famine, drought and desperation sweeps through the country but military steps in as govt is blamed," splashed the daily Standard.

"At last help is coming," The Nation newspaper said in a headline above a picture of a malnourished infant and a story that began: "Tales of famine at the time of the Feast have pricked the conscience of the nation."

The paper said it had been besieged with offers of assistance from "kind-hearted Kenyans" and noted that former colonial power Britain on Friday contributed 4.7 million dollars (3.9 million euros) to help meet a November UN appeal for 25 million dollars (20.5 million euros) to deal with the crisis.

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