Members of the North Eastern Parliamentary Group now want the government to declare the ongoing El Nino rains a national disaster.
The MPs said the move would attract support from all strategic players among them State agencies, non-governmental organisations, the donor community and the wider Kenyan public to address the crisis.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament Buildings, the lawmakers said the rains are wreaking havoc and inflicting pain on communities across the wider North Eastern region.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan said the government must urgently expedite the deployment of emergency relief supplies including food, clean water, medical aid and shelter to the affected areas.
“Immediate measures should be taken to evacuate vulnerable populations to safe locations and provide temporary shelters to those displaced by the floods,” he stated.
He added that all major towns and villages have been marooned making the expansive region completely cut off from the rest of the country.
“Vital entry roads have been swept off at Modogashe, Kotolu, and most recently Tula Bridge that links Garissa to Nairobi rendering the whole region inaccessible by road,” he stated.
Keynan added that apart from Wajir Airstrip, all other airstrips in the region are non-functional and completely shut operations due to the intense rains.
“We call on the government to allocate resources for rapid rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, including roads, bridges, health facilities and schools,” he said.
The Eldas MP further said the State should take measure to prevent an outbreak of waterborne diseases by providing medical services, sanitation facilities and hygiene kits including mosquito nets.
“The Red Cross does not have the capacity to manage the crisis without the help from the military and UN agencies like the World Food Programme,” he emphasised.
He added that the government should consider providing financial assistance to affected communities to rebuild their lives including waiving fees for affected families.
“Avail fuel for generators to help power electricity in towns to ease and fast track interventions,” he said.
He said the government should also consider construction of pans and mega dams in each of the sub-counties as a long term measure to contain floods.
