NAIROBI, 12 June 2008 (IRIN) - A 50 percent rise in food prices in Kenya since the start of 2008 has led many people to drastically reduce their daily diets, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

"There has been a sharp increase in food prices, especially of the staple, maize," WFP information officer, Gabrielle Menezes, told IRIN.

A two-kilogramme packet of maize flour, currently retailing at Ksh80 (US $1.3), cost just Ksh50 earlier this year.

"The situation in the arid districts of Turkana and Mandera [northern Kenya] has especially deteriorated, with pastoralists migrating to neighbouring countries in search of pasture," said Menezes.

She observed that the food security situation was made worse by two months of widespread violence that followed a presidential election in December and by unfavourable weather conditions. She added that the agency was running an emergency operation, currently targeting 1.2 million people affected by drought and the post-election crisis.

High food prices have caused affected communities to adapt their diets, explained Menezes, such as eating only one meal a day, cutting down on protein, such as meat and beans, and opting for cheaper vegetables such as kale.