William Ruto sets aside KSh 7b for El Nino mitigation across counties

Nairobi, Kenya-President William Ruto has allocated KSh 7 billion to address the effects of El Nino in the country.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting held on Monday, November 27, Ruto said the government will disperse KSh 20 billion more to counties to support mitigation measures.

The money will be used for various programmes to address the plight of Kenyans affected by the heavy rains across the country. The funds were appropriated by parliament under the Contingencies Fund as part of the FY2023/24 budget and Supplementary Appropriations No. I of FY 2023/24.

The resources will be used for humanitarian response, including the distribution and supply of medical commodities, food and non-food items, rehabilitation of infrastructure, and resettlement of displaced families.

The national government is set to implement the mitigation measures in collaboration with county governments, the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), and the National Youth Service (NYS) in cooperation with the Kenya Red Cross Society.

Milk farmers affected by El nino

To support farmers who have been adversely affected, the government disbursed KSh 500 million to New KCC to mop up excess milk during this rainy season. The KDF will also airlift medical supplies worth KSh 180 million to Wajir County.

Regarding road repairs, the government says several affected infrastructure has been restored such as Mbogolo Bridge on the Mtwapa-Malindi Road, Maadathe Centre on the Wajir-Mandera Road, and Garissa Airstrip has been repaired and commercial flights will resume tomorrow.

Through the National Disaster Operations Center, the government will continue to provide regular updates on the progress of our relief efforts, and the centre will work closely with the media in disseminating accurate and timely information to the public.

The cabinet meeting also revealed that 38 out of 47 counties in the country are within the alarm stage, which is characterized by flash floods, general flooding in low-lying plains, rivers bursting their banks, landslides and mudslides, loss of livestock, and the destruction of farmland and infrastructure.

So far, 76 Kenyans have died following the ongoing El-Nino rains in the country while 35,000 households have been displaced. The most severely affected areas are in the northeastern, eastern, and coast regions.