The Government has affirmed the provision of emergency housing and comprehensive support services to families displaced by the extensive flooding affecting several regions in the country.
This initiative underscores the Government’s proactive approach to addressing the immediate needs of affected communities and ensuring their safety and well-being during this challenging period.
Addressing the nation from Sarova Whitesands, Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura highlighted the government’s vigilant stance in monitoring the ongoing long rainfall season.
Mwaura said the government is mobilising veterinary services and emergency feed supplies to support the affected pastoral communities, who are likely to lose large numbers of livestock.
Acknowledging the onset of heavy and persistent rainfall alongside severe storms, as predicted by meteorological department forecasts, Mwaura emphasised the government’s proactive approach to tracking these developments closely.
“This has been a continuous project where we had over 100,000 households affected, and so we need the nation to be assured that we have the matter under control and we shall take the necessary measures,” Mwaura said.
He noted that the ongoing heavy rainfall has posed several challenges, besides the displacement of whole communities, and added that the government is prepared to address them proactively.
“We are witnessing and preparing for substantial damage to roads, bridges, educational institutions, health facilities, and residential buildings. The government has put rapid response teams on standby, to conduct repairs, and maintenance and to ensure continuity of essential services,” Mwaura said.
He further acknowledged that the livelihoods of many Kenyans, especially those in the agricultural and information sectors, are at risk. The government is initiating relief measures, including financial aid and resources to support affected individuals and families.
The Spokesperson said that large acreages of farmland are also under threat of submersion, which could ultimately impact food security, but he assured that the Ministry of Agriculture is deploying strategies and resources to mitigate these effects, including the provision of flood-resistant crop varieties and farming advisories.
Mwaura also delved into various pressing issues affecting the country, notably the ongoing doctor’s strike, where he urged the health workers to prioritise the welfare of citizens by demonstrating compassion and ending the strike.
Emphasising the importance of dialogue, he called upon all stakeholders to engage in constructive negotiations to resolve the impasse effectively.
He also addressed the surge in passport applications and collection, assuring that the government will double the number of passports it targets to issue this year to at least one million and three million digital national identification cards during the same period.
The new targets are set to be part of a new ambitious drive to make it easier for Kenyans to access these documents. Currently, there has been a backlog of 700,000 Kenyans who have been waiting to acquire passports and a similar number of IDs.
“The government is also working to raise the revenue generated from its services, which is collected on the E-Citizen digital platform at a daily average of Sh1 billion,” Mwaura highlighted.
He explained that this is important to enhance the efficiency that will get rid of corruption and gridlocks and ensure the resources are ploughed back to uplift the lives of Kenyans.
The government believes that these are realistic targets based on strategic improvements.
“Also targeted for a major boost in generated revenue is the issuance of Electronic Travel Authorisation (eta) that replaced entry visas to the country, with the government hoping for at least 5 million visitors in the medium term,” he said.
By Fatma Said
