Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called for a unified response to the El Niño rains saying the Government is ready to work with governors, local and international partners to lessen its impact in the country.
Speaking on Thursday when he hosted governors, Cabinet Secretaries, local and international partners, and Kenya Red Cross at his Official Karen Residence to consolidate the response to the anticipated El Niño rains, he said foolproof mitigation measures were already being rolled out.
"El Nino is beyond County Governments; El Nino is beyond the National Government; El Nino is beyond our Partners. That is why we must work together by leveraging our diverse capacities in technical and financial resources. A synchronised strategy will offer a methodical implementation matrix of the mitigation measures," Gachagua stated.
The Deputy President asked county governments to fully use the emergency kitty towards the negative impact that may occur from the expected El Nino rains.
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He also directed the devolved units to prepare artificial waterways so as to reduce surface run-off and risk of flooding, especially in residential areas.
"Counties should apply the emergency kitty fully so that we harness all resources from all sources towards the possible calamity. We recognise that with the expansion of our towns, we have not matched drainage systems as required. As a matter of urgency, we request counties to prepare artificial waterways. This will reduce surface run-off and risk of flooding, more so, in residential areas," Gachagua remarked.
He also urged Kenyans living in low-lying and flood prone areas to move to higher grounds ahead of El-Nino rains.
In addition, he appealed to farmers to store their produce early to reduce losses.
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