Responding to the growing threat of heavy rains and floods from various parts of the country, the government has set up a Flood Command Centre at Nyayo House.
In a statement by the Ministry of Interior, the centre is tasked to document and report all flood-related disaster information from across the nation.
According to the ministry, this comes hot on the heels of the establishment of the Flood Emergency Multi-Agency team monitoring the ongoing heavy rains.
The centre is expected to function as a central hub for information gathering, coordination, and dissemination.
Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the team comprises representatives from 11 ministries and their relevant agencies.
"The team comprising of 11 Ministries and their relevant agencies, adopting a Whole of Government Approach, will provide early warning information, flood alerts, flood preparedness, safety and emergency response information to stakeholders and the public," the statement read in part.
According to the ministry, four counties, namely Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, have been pinpointed as the most severely affected by the ongoing situation.
Furthermore, ten other counties, including Isiolo, Samburu, Kwale, Homabay, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Meru, and Kisumu, are currently on high alert.
Additionally, five forces have been integrated into the Flood Emergency Multi-Agency team;
The Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Coast Guard Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, and National Youth Service.
The Government has set up a Flood Command Center at Nyayo House in Nairobi County to document and report all flood disaster information from across the country following the establishment of a Flood Emergency Multi-Agency team monitoring the ongoing heavy rains.
According to… pic.twitter.com/1QUkuWIYGS— Ministry of Interior | Kenya (@InteriorKE) November 28, 2023
El Nino response
On Monday, President William Ruto chaired a Cabinet meeting at the Statehouse on El Nino response.
A report from the State House conveyed that the persistent heavy rains have tragically resulted in the loss of 76 lives and the displacement of 35,000 households.
In response to the challenges posed by the El Nino rains, the cabinet unanimously endorsed a set of measures designed to alleviate the impact.
These measures involved allocating Ksh7 billion from contingency funds to address the situation.
Additionally, county governments are set to receive an additional Ksh10 billion, building on a similar amount disbursed last week as part of the shareable revenue for the devolved units.
Furthermore, there is a specific directive to channel the approved Ksh7 billion contingency funds, sanctioned by Parliament in both the Budget and the first Supplementary Appropriations for the 2023/24 financial year, towards humanitarian efforts.
This includes activities such as the distribution and supply of medical supplies, provision of food and non-food items, rehabilitation of infrastructure, and the resettlement of families displaced by adverse weather conditions.
