Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo has presided over the distribution of relief food to over 4000 displaced families in Nyakach and Nyando Sub-Counties in Kisumu.
The affected households were issued with bags of rice and beans as part of the National Government’s Disaster Response Programme, spearheaded by President Dr. William Ruto.
The relief food, Owalo said, was a temporary support measure aimed at alleviating the untold suffering of the flood-hit communities.
Speaking at Ombaka Secondary School, where a section of displaced families has camped in temporary houses, the CS affirmed that the State was concerned with the plight of residents and committed to finding a permanent solution to the perennial occurrence.
Widespread flooding caused by continuous heavy rainfall leading to the River Nyando bursting its banks has affected over 14,000 people across Kisumu’s 8 sub-counties, destroying property and displacing many residents.
The national government, he said, has partnered with the county government and other stakeholders to provide helicopters to swiftly evacuate families stranded in the flood waters after the River Nyando burst its banks on Saturday.
Owalo affirmed that the government would give top priority to completing the construction of the Koru-Soin dam to alleviate the suffering of locals caused by the ravaging floods.
“Construction of the Koru-Soin dam is at the centre of the government’s development agenda. Facilitating the project through a Public Financing Model proved not to be feasible. So the government has opted to use the Public-Private partnership model to fast-track the project to its logical conclusion,” said the CS.
Besides, the State has pledged to avail dredging machines to desilt Lake Victoria, especially at the mouth of the River Nyando, to control the backflow menace.
In yet another bold move, Owalo assured that the government would further construct dykes along the River Nyando to address perennial floods in the area.
At the same time, the CS urged the locals to adhere to the directives requiring people to vacate their homes downstream to safer places to avert disaster.
“I’m appealing to our people to be proactive and move out of the river banks in good time because you do not know when the lake or the river will erupt and cause flooding. Let us not wait until we experience what we are witnessing today for us to move,” he said, adding that, “the government is willing to facilitate the evacuation of those wishing to move to higher grounds so that we can protect lives.”
He called on residents to take advantage of the current rains to plant fruit trees as well as indigenous trees to help hold the soil and prevent soil erosion.
“This flooding is a challenge, but we can utilise it as an opportunity to plant as many trees as possible to help conserve our environment.”
He toured the flood-affected communities and made the donations on Monday through a delegation made up of SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) Chairman Jack Ranguma, Postal Corporation Chair Rose Nyamunga, National Museums of Kenya Chairman Edwin Abonyo, Lake Basin Development Authority Chairman Dianga Waore, and Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency Director Millicent Oduor.
Also present were National Housing Corporation Director Joshua Nyamori, former Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello, and former Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima, among many other leaders.
By Robert Ojwang’
