• The funds have been used to provide food and other support needed by the families.
• In Murang'a, 1,194 people have been affected by floods and landslides.
Image: FILE
The national government has used Sh1.3 billion to support victims of floods and landslides, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has said.
The CS has said 78,000 households with over 800,000 members have been displaced by the ongoing rains nationally.
He said the funds have been used to supply both food and non-food items to the families, some of whose homes have been completely destroyed.
Wamalwa, however, noted that Murang’a, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet counties have been worst hit by landslides and mudslides.
A total of 253 homes have been affected in Murang’a so far, he said, totalling to about 1,194 people.
Speaking in Murang’a county on Monday, the CS said he was on a fact-finding mission to establish the extent of the losses caused and the help required.
He distributed 1,000 bags of rice for issuance to the affected families, noting that more support will be forthcoming.
In the company of local leaders, Wamalwa toured affected areas in the county including Kariara in Gatanga where one acre of tea was destroyed by a landslide and Kanjama, Mathioya. A section of the Kiria-ini Kangema road has sunk affecting numerous homes.
He said numerous footbridges and roads have been destroyed by earth movements while nearby schools have had their windows jammed.
“We are in consultation with the Transport ministry and have agreed to have the affected roads and bridges urgently rehabilitated through the Kenya National Highways Authority,” he said.
He said similar challenges faced the county in 2018 and the affected families had their houses rebuilt in partnership with the Red Cross last year.
“Even now, we have mapped the affected families and we plan to assist them after providing them with food,” he added.
He said in West Pokot, 109 homes constructed for landslide victims in December have recently been commissioned in Parua, 72 in Nyarkulian and 42 in Tamkal.
He cautioned families living near rivers to exercise caution saying more than 200 people have died because of floods and landslides since March. The meteorology department has announced that the rains will continue until the end of the month.
The CS further noted that geologists will survey areas that have developed cracks to ensure the lives of residents are not in danger.
“We will continue to give weekly briefings on the situation until the rains subside,” he said.
Kahuro area in Kahuro subcounty, Kanjama in Mathioya, Gitugu and Kanyenya-ini in Kangema and Kariua in Kandara have developed huge cracks, sparking fear among locals.
Edited by R.Wamochie