Murang’a county government is in the process of formulating an emergencies response plan that will help it access funding to manage disasters.
The county is among seven that have a high risk of disasters that have been chosen for a pilot phase of the National Emergency Response Plan.
The initiative provides for all emergency response planning and activities in the country.
The counties of Lamu,Isiolo, Kakamega, Nairobi, Wajir, Tana River and Murang'a are required to use the national plan for a framework that will cover their needs.
Murang’a county disaster manager Bilha Wanjiku said lack of a response plan has in the past made it difficult to urgently and adequately cater to people affected by disasters.
Every year, the county experiences landslides that leave scores of families stranded and have claimed several lives.
When such disasters strike, Wanjiku said charitable organizations and both national and county governments come together to devise a way of helping the victims without any legal framework.
This, she said, limits accessibility to funding which also makes it difficult for response activities to help as many people as they should.
The plan that is being refined by a group of stakeholders including government departments and non-governmental organisations will map out areas prone to disasters and provide a database of the people and equipment that can be used to reach out in case of emergencies.
The plan will also provide for the formation of County Disaster Risk Management Committee that will be cascaded down to the eight subcounties.
“This plan will help coordinate disaster risk management and help boost our preparedness and response measures while maximising the resources available,” Wanjiku said, noting that the World Bank expects an account of all funds which necessitates the plans.
Once the plan is concluded, it will be forwarded to the County Secretary for discussion in the cabinet that is expected to determine who will constitute the County Disaster Risk Management Committee before forwarding the document to the county assembly for approval.
Wanjiku appealed to MCAs to expedite the discussion and adoption process, saying the document should be handed over to the National Treasury by the end of June and become operational by September 1.
She lauded Governor Mwangi wa Iria for establishing the County Disaster Management Department after he was elected in 2013 but noted that she had seen many people suffer after being struck by disasters due to lack of funds.
The county Director of Meteorology Services Paul Murage noted that the county can acquire up to Sh20 billion from the World Bank in times of emergencies with a proper plan.
He said through the plans, each of the counties will have a risk profile that will detail the possible causes of disasters.
“To customise this document to our county, we picked organisations and government departments that are directly involved in management of disasters and we have taken them through the national plan so that we can establish the county one,” he said.
