The Kenyan government has said it is responding to food shortages in areas suffering from drought. More than one million people are threatened with hunger in Eastern and Coastal Provinces.
Food supplies including cooking oil, sorghum and rice have been sent to the affected districts to ensure reserve stock piles are sufficient.
Stephen Tarus, assistant minister in charge of food security, said delays were due to "logistical reasons".
Wild tubers
Drought is not uncommon in Kenya and the government has been criticised for its slow response to the situation.
Desperate residents in the coastal district of Kwale are reported to be living off wild tubers, because of acute food shortages.
Responding to the criticism, Mr Tarus insisted that the Kenyan government had a sound food policy. "The government has information mechanisms to obtain early warning for the purposes of addressing the issues of drought," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
He said Kenya was an agricultural-based economy and the government had "elaborate plans" for the provision of Kenya's food.
Killer maize
The food shortages have been exacerbated by contaminated maize stocks in parts of the Eastern province.
According to Health Minister Charity Ngilu, 80% of locally available maize stocks were affected.
Over 80 people have died from eating the poisonous maize.
Mr Tarus explained that the contamination occurs when the maize is stored in conditions not suitable for food, but this had now been dealt with.
"The Kenyan government, in using the respective ministries, has been able to address this problem," he said.
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The government has elaborate plans in terms of the provision of food and has moved to address the issue of motivating farmers 
