United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has partnered with the Kisumu county government to offer relief kits to families affected by floods in the area.
The support targets over 1, 000 people affected by floods in Kisumu Central, Nyando and Nyakach Sub-Counties.
Speaking at Nyang’ande in Nyando Sub-County during the distribution exercise, UNICEF Chief of Field Office Wangui Karanja said the response aims at ensuring that the vulnerable, especially women and children continue to access food, clean water and medical care.
“We aim to work together with the County directorate of special programmes to ensure that mothers and children are protected from adverse effects of floods,” she said.
Hundreds of households benefited from relief food and medical supplies to curb spread of water borne diseases in the area.
Karanja disclosed that UNICEF will help build capacity for the Kisumu county government to integrate disaster management components in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and other strategic plans.
This, she said will boost the capacity of the devolved unit to effectively control and manage disasters of such nature and avert loss of lives.
Kisumu County Acting Director of Special Programmes and Disaster Management Atieno Otieno lauded the partnership saying it will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of households affected by floods.
“We launched this drive about a month ago and we have been carrying out coordinated response efforts with partners in the affected regions,” she said.
Focus, she added, was on the most urgent and vulnerable cases to ensure they receive relief food and items to cover their basic needs, hygiene and health. So far, she said, the exercise jointly carried out by volunteers from Kenya Red Cross has so far covered Nyalenda, parts of Nyakach and Nyando.
The ongoing rains in the area have left parts of the affected sub counties submerged with hundreds in need of emergency support.
By Chris Mahandara
