Murang'a MCAs want Sh23 million released for flood mitigation

Murang'a County Assembly has adopted a motion compelling the county government to disburse emergency funds to victims.

The motion tabled by Kahumbu MCA Chefman Njoroge seeks to ensure the funds are released to the wards with immediate effect to reprieve the affected families and was unanimously passed by the MCAs.

This comes even as Kenya Red Cross revealed that 89 families have been displaced by heavy rains that have been pounding the county. 

The KRC on Wednesday said those affected include the 30 families that were displaced by a landslide at Kiganjo village in Mathioya last week.

The incident resulted in the death of six people.

The motion by Njoroge called on the county government to release Sh23 million to help the victims.

“Sh7 million has already been approved by the controller of budget and should be available to MCAs,” he said.

Should the funds be released, this will see each ward receive Sh400,000 as all wards have been affected by the heavy downpour.

The rest, Njoroge said, will be used by the county government as relief to the families caught up in emergencies.

MCAs however expressed concerns that the funds may not be sufficient to cover the damages caused by the rains by the time the season is over.

Muguru MCA Moses Muchiri said the house passed the County Emergency Funds regulations months ago, challenging the county government to move with haste and support those affected by the rains.

“The regulations we passed allow the Chief Executive Committee Member for Finance to withdraw the funds,” he said.

The displaced families are being hosted at Ngutu Primary School.

Nine other families in the same Subcounty have been displaced.

In Kangema, 30 families have been affected while 11 have also been displaced from their homes in Murang’a East.

The county has experienced numerous land and mudslides that have destroyed property worth millions.

The County Red Cross Coordinator Immaculate Iteba said the torrential rains have also left immense destruction, with some caving in while others have developed cracks.

“We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure no more lives are lost,” Iteba said.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has announced that the county will continue receiving heavy rains until the end of June.

The county director Anthony Kinyua has cautioned locals to be on the look-out as the saturated soils could cause more mud and landslides.