Lamu county has unveiled a disaster risk management policy which will help in preparedness, prevention, protection, recovery and provision of relief to the affected victims.
The Lamu county disaster risk management policy 2021 shall also help in building resilience to the communities prone to disasters, easy response, and prevent risks of disasters.
The document, which was made through the support of USAID, will also help stakeholders by ensuring they do risk assessment, promote sustainable development and vulnerability of the community.
Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha said the Disaster Act will assist the county in clarifying roles and responsibilities and help in coordination mechanisms.
It will also help in disaster risk management across all sectors by providing a legal foundation for all aspects of disaster risk management.
Twaha said the county is positioned as an attractive industrial hub due to the availability of reliable power, decent roads and proximity to the Lapsset project.
He also said since 2019 his office has been collaborating with USAID Kuza to assist the county in meeting its desired objectives on various levels.
“I am also aware of the week-long programme where USAID Kuza has been assisting in disseminating pending policies such as monitoring and evaluating policy that has become a prerequisite for effective reforms,” he said.
Further, he said USAID Kuza is also helping in developing other bills such as peace building and conflict management policy and public participation and civic education policy.
He told USAID that all the bills will have his full support and blessings once they have been passed by the county assembly, adding that they would be implemented effectively.
USAID Kuza chief of party Wayne Bright said Lamu is the first county among the FCDC counties where they have worked collaboratively to develop policies geared toward development.
She said for the last month they have been working with the county to develop the frontier counties Development Council Bill and regional peace and coordination policy.
“We have been working closely with the ICT department on e-government solutions for Lamu county as well,” she said.
So far Bright said they are pleased to launch the policy for Lamu county and look forward to seeing the county government implement the policy.
She said their project has a fund called the Impact in Northern Kenya fund which lends money to financial institutions to lend to SMEs in FCDCs regions.
“We have worked with Lamu county's revolving fund to provide fund management training to ensure you are able to dispose the county resourcees to the people who are in need of it," she said.
John Githiaka, the capacity development adviser with the USAID Kuza in the frontier counties development council, said the programme works in four broad areas, including supporting a policy enabling environment, strengthen institution and governance capacity.
He said the programme also seeks to promote investments in the private sector and strengthen county integrated and monitoring evaluation systems, including disaster risk management.
Githaiga said they worked with the county to develop the Disaster Risk Management Policy Act and management policy framework.
“This is the first to be launched in the 10 FCDC counties and it has testament in the work that the county team has done,” he said.
He said they also launched the investment prospectus for cotton processing and fish processing of Lamu county which are all aimed at strengthening of the economic prospects of the county.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
