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<span style="font-weight: bold">A Kenyan ex-minister has given a TV to officials going to the US for Barack Obama's inauguration, saying they should watch the ceremony at home. </span>
Kalembe Ndile <span style="font-weight: bold">said the trip was a waste of taxpayers' money, especially as the delegation has not been invited and so would watch it from their hotel rooms.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">The row comes as Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki asks for international assistance to cope with food shortag</span>es.
Mr Obama's father was Kenyan and the country takes great pride in him.
A public holiday was declared when he was elected US president last November.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports that foreign ministry officials refused to let Mr Ndile into the building, so he left the 21-inch TV outside the ministry's front door</span>.
<span style="font-style: italic">The US ambassador to Kenya has said that only accredited diplomats in Washington will be invited to represent their countries at the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday</span>.
<span style="font-weight: bold">But</span> Foreign Minister Moses Wetang'ula <span style="font-weight: bold">is still leading a sizeable official delegation. </span>
They will attend a party on the eve of the inauguration, not the main event, the Daily Nation says.
As well as the officials, some of Mr Obama's Kenyan relatives are also going travelling to attend the ceremonies.
The BBC's Caroline Karobia in the capital, Nairobi, says they have refused to say whether they are attending the main inauguration.
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki on Friday appealed for some $400m to help feed 10 million people - more than a quarter of the population.
Last week, he said he was declaring a national emergency because of the food shortages.
Officials have since denied accusations that corruption in the agriculture ministry were behind the lack of maize.
Our correspondent says former Assistant Minister of Tourism Mr Ndile is known to court publicity.
In 2007, he was one of 30 assistant ministers who said they did not have enough work to do.
"I'm treated like a shadow and only learn of issues in my ministry through the press," he said at the time
but you can't be spending the govt. money when pickney a starve 
no sah
a hotel dem live ? wah mek dem have to watch it in hotel room and not dem yard ?
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