Garissa County Commissioner Solomon Chesut has urged the internally displaced people in the county as a result of floods occasioned by El Nino rains to start returning to their homes since water in their areas has been subsidised.
Most of the displacement camps were raised in public primary schools, where flood victims have been staying over the last three weeks.
Speaking during Jamhuri Day celebrations held in Garissa primary school grounds, the county commissioner expressed his gratitude to the county government, development partners, and national government officials for the efforts made to save lives during the flooding period that was experienced in the county.
More than 30,000 households in the county were affected, especially those near the River Tana, which broke its banks, wreaking havoc to communities and leaving a trail of destruction in the nearby centres and farms.
“In the next two or three weeks, schools will be opening, and people should be preparing to go back to their homes because water has subsided. We will walk with them and help them with either mattresses, mosquito nets, or other basic commodities so that they go back to their homes,” Chesut said.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama, on his part, thanked the World Food Programme for availing choppers to help in relief food distribution to flood victims in the interior parts of the county where roads are impassable.
Jama said that his government is using choppers to deliver drugs and medical equipment to sub-county hospitals in Garissa and make sure that people have access to medical services, especially where there could be waterborne diseases.
By Erick Kyalo
