Government agencies activated to mitigate El Nino - Duale

All government agencies have been activated to mitigate El Nino, Cabinet Secretary for Defence Aden Duale has said.

He said the government has enough resources to cater for flood victims.

Duale spoke in Garissa town on Sunday during an impact assessment tour of damaged roads in Garissa and Wajir, accompanied by Kenya Highway Authority engineers.

The CS said Cabinet had allocated Asal ministry all resources it requires to mitigate El Nino.

He said Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua will lead a relief food distribution exercise when he visits the region.

He said the devastating effects of floods on infrastructure have affected movement and caused water borne diseases.

He said 38 counties have been affected by El Nino and more than 140 Kenyans have lost their lives.

Property worth millions of shillings have been destroyed and  thousands of Kenyans displaced.

A number of trucks have been stuck for sometime now in Skanska, 15km to Habaswein town, making delivery of food stuffs, fuel, pharmaceuticals and other medical equipment to Wajir and Mandera counties impossible.

Duale said Kenha had already fixed Garissa-Nairobi road and is working round the clock to restore normalcy in other parts country, where roads were damaged.

He said Garissa Madogo-Bura road had been fixed and contractors are working on the Garsen - Lamu road and the Modogashe-Habaswein stretch.

“We want to thank the leadership of the ministry of roads led my colleague Hon Murkomen and Kenha leadership for doing an amazing job from Nairobi to Garissa, Garissa to Wajir and Moyale to Mandera,” Duale said.

He said restoring infrastructure is critical because it has limited movement of relief supplies to affected areas.

Duale said Kenya Defence Forces were fully involved in rescue operations and delivery of food and medical supplies.

"KDF has far airlifted 600 tonnes of food, medical supplies, and non food items to areas affected by floods including Mandera, Isiolo, Tana River, and other areas. The Military is also involved in the evacuation of citizens who have been marooned in the raging waters,”he said.

"For the first time we have trucks loaded with relief food, so no Kenyan will sleep hungry during this time. This is the commitment of the president and the Kenya Kwanza government."

The defense CS also said security agencies are on high alert on any possible terror attacks.

“Resources have been availed by the government, structures have been set from sub committee of cabinet, key agencies are also up and running," Duale said.

"The Interior Ministry units are on high alert to make sure we secure, save and protect civilian lives and generally reduce casualties,” he said.