The NGO Council of Kenya has called for the establishment of a flood and heavy rain alert system which will ensure that residents of at-risk areas leave or are evacuated before being marooned by floods.
NGO Council National Chairman Stephen Cheboi said that the Council has ensured the delivery of warnings to some of the high-risk communities via channels such as social media, public address systems, and community health volunteers.
Speaking on Tuesday at their Nyayo house office, Cheboi said that as humanitarian actors and officials, they are calling for more safety measures to be established to minimise the loss of lives in the affected areas.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecasted that the rainfall will persist in most parts of the country accompanied by storms, whereby several counties, including Garissa, Makueni, Tana River, and Kilifi, are at risk of flooding, which may lead to the loss of livelihoods.
Cheboi commended President William Ruto for holding a cabinet meeting where funds were allocated to counties for flood emergencies.
“I would like to call on the government to allocate more funds to cater for such emergencies,” said Cheboi.
He continued… “NGOs and their partners play a key role in offering humanitarian assistance in different key areas for the betterment of society and the world at large,” echoed Cheboi.
He said there is a need to champion assistance and safety for all Kenyans since the current disaster requires urgent response and immediate action.
Speaking at the same meeting, Chairperson for Water and Sanitation in the NGO Council, Dr. Joseph Ngera, suggested the evacuation of the communities residing along river banks for purposes of avoiding more disasters as a result of the rivers overflowing.
Ngera added that this can only be accomplished if the Ministry of Land is involved.
They have also reminded the National Government that the same communities may need urgent access to water, sanitation, shelter, and tools for rescuing the displaced individuals affected by the floods.
In collaboration between the NGO Council and the Global Partnership Organisation (GPO), a humanitarian action was launched, further establishing Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to work on and sustain humanitarian crises in high-risk communities.
Cheboi called upon all NGOs at both National and County levels to collaborate with county governments, the National Government and the National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) to respond to the crisis.
By Juma Nalami and Kelvin Waribu
