The dilapidated road infrastructure in Garissa and Tana River counties will be rehabilitated to "at least to motorable standards" to allow passage of humanitarian aid.
Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday said the interventions are temporary under the prevailing circumstances and the government is mulling long-term solutions.
The CS spoke after touring the region in the company of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
"As the DP noted, resources have been deployed and work is underway to restore road networks and other infrastructure, at least to motorable standards for humanitarian support to reach those who need it," he said.
Garissa and Tana River have borne the brunt of the ongoing El Nino rains which have rendered a large road network in the two counties in a sorry state.
Bridges and roads have been swept away and cut off travel links between adjacent areas leaving residents marooned in flooded areas in dire need of humanitarian aid.
"The full damage will be assessed later with an eye on long-term reconstruction," Murkomen said.
A needs assessment by the Flood Command Centre under the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) found that Garissa and Tana River counties are prone to flooding due to their flat and low-lying topography.
According to a forecast by the Kenya Meteorological Department, the heavy rains are expected to continue in the coming days as El Nino progresses in intensity going into the new year.
As such, flooding is expected to escalate in the already exposed areas of Garissa, Tana River, Coastal Strip, Wajir, Mandera and Isiolo counties.
Flood statistics issued by the government on December 2 indicated that at least 142 people have so far died from drowning in flood waters while over 89,000 others have been displaced.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said more than 30,000 people have so far been affected by floods in Garissa, 25,000 in Kitui, 3,000 in Embu and about 2,000 in Tharaka Nithi County.
He further warned that dams may overflow and affect at least 5,000 people downstream and asked residents to cooperate with officers who will be sent to evacuate them as Masinga, Kamburu, Kindaruma, Gitaru and Kiambere Dams continue to swell.
