Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir has set the record straight on matters of funds to mitigate the effect of El Nino in the county.
Speaking while addressing the media on Saturday, the governor said his county is yet to receive funds for El Nino.
"We have received zero funding from the national government to mitigate El Nino effects," he said.
Nassir added that the resources the county is currently using as floods wreak havoc in Mombasa are from individual pockets.
"Everything we are doing, we are doing on our own and with local partners that have been able to assist us," he said.
"There are no donations or grants for the purpose of El Nino."
His statement comes a day after Mombasa experienced flooding that left houses submerged and roads rendered impassable.
The governor also dismissed reports that the flooding being experienced in parts of the county is due to poor drainage systems.
He raised concern that there are parts of the county where people had constructed their homes on waterways.
"I have heard many say it is the drainage, if the problem was the drainage this whole county would be submerged," he said.
"There are some areas that the entire villages are constructed on waterways," Nassir added.
In September, the Council of Governors (CoG) urged the national government to ensure that at least 50 per cent of the National Contingency Fund is set aside for El Niño preparedness and response activities.
CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru noted that counties only have about Sh1 billion in their budgets for El Niño disaster mitigations and response activities.
“We recognise that managing the impacts of El Niño requires resources. We will actively engage with the national government, development partners, and private sector to ensure that the necessary funds and resources are available to support our preparedness and response efforts,” She said.
