The Kenya Red Cross Society has launched an emergency appeal of over 591 million shillings to assist more than 1.6 million victims of drought.

Addressing the press at the Kenya Red Cross Society headquarters in Nairobi Friday Secretary General Abbas Gullet called on well wishers and donors to help mitigate the effects of the drought.

Gullet said emergency operations would include expansion of the school feeding program targeting over 500,000 children in parts of eastern, north eastern and coast provinces hard hit by prolonged drought.

He said the seed distribution recovery programme would be implemented among 150,000 farming households in lower eastern likely to face adverse effects of the looming El Nino rains.

Over 10 million people are facing starvation and the government recently launched an emergency programme for 11 districts hard hit by drought.

Gullet said the organisation was seeking funds to provide food aid, emergency health care and improve accessibility to water for the next six months targeting more than 1.6 people.

He said so far Kenya Red Cross they received Ksh 660 million for Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) and a further Ksh 105.8 million from the society.

"I call upon Kenyan's to be patient, as the Red cross endeavours to reach every part of the country to help as many people as possible right from pastoralists to school children," he said.