The County Government of Nyeri has urged members of the public to utilize the new toll-free number in reporting fire occurrences to minimize losses from such incidents.
Gender, Youth, Sports and Social Services CECM Esther Ndung’u stated that many of the disasters previously witnessed in the county would have been suppressed had residents reported such incidents to relevant emergency responders on time.
Ndung’u said the Monday fire incident that was witnessed at Githura market in Kieni West Sub County would have been worse had area residents not alerted the fire brigade promptly.
During the afternoon incident, a total of 27 business operators and 35 households were left counting losses after their premises were gutted down in the inferno.
No casualty was reported as a result of the blaze.
She said as a department they have embarked on a countywide sensitisation campaign to enlighten members of the public on how to report disasters to help minimise both property losses and human casualties.
“We have a toll-free line that we established recently – 1549 – and it’s toll-free. The reason we did this is because the line we had before was being charged and whenever the mwananchi wanted to call he had to have credit. That is why we launched a toll-free line,” she told KNA.
The County Government unveiled the toll number in March this year to help residents have direct access to emergency services providers.
It usually takes a minimum of eight to 15 minutes for emergency crews to arrive at the scene of a disaster once a person prompts an SOS.
While launching the number, Governor Dr Mutahi Kahiga said the free emergency line will eliminate barriers to reporting emergencies and at the same time strengthen the county’s disaster preparedness and response framework.
Dr Mutahi said the emergency number had come at a time when the county was dealing with a high rate of emergency cases, having recorded a total of 386 incidents in the last year.
The cases included 277 structural fires,46 bush fires, 46 road traffic accidents, six drowning cases, four emergency aid cases, three vehicle fires, two gas explosion fires, and 2 two search and rescue operations.
“I am aware of the fact that when a disaster strikes, seconds matter and cost should never be a barrier to seeking help. It is therefore our duty to put in place systems that are not only responsive, inclusive and technology driven but also accessible, efficient and reliable,” he said.
The County boss revealed that out of the reported cases, the county lost 20 people to road traffic accidents and 20 to structural fires.
Additionally, 14 bodies were retrieved from water bodies, including wells and pit latrines.
Ndung’u has also advised members of the public to be reporting disasters to relevant authorities to minimize the risks of losses both in terms of property and human casualties.
She noted that while community response is critical it is more often incapable to check the extent of damage from disasters.
“I always encourage them (community)to first of all call this number (1549) because the mistake the community always do is to first of all think of how to put out the fire first and when it becomes overwhelming they call our officers. When our officers go to the scene the community complains that the team has gone there late and in most cases we find them beaten and the fire trucks pelted with stones,” she said.
Meanwhile, members of the Nyeri Deaf Association planning to participate in this year’s 25th Summer Deaflympics will be assisted with sporting kits and other necessities courtesy of the County Government.
Speaking after meeting members of the association in her office on Tuesday, Ndung’u said the department plans to go out of its way to ensure the athletes proceed to the national trials in Nairobi in preparation for the international games slated in November.
The CEC, however, said the host country for the games (which were held in Tokyo last year) is yet to be announced.
Nyeri sent a total of four members of the deaf community to represent the country in the Tokyo Deaflympics.
“This year we want to buy the team uniforms so that even as they go to represent Nyeri they have uniforms. So the meeting was to start the planning and how to support them during the training and of course, to discuss the budget and how the County government will come in to support them,” she told KNA.
She also called for other categories of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) to come out and organise themselves in similar activities as one way of empowering their lives.
She said while it may not be possible to assist all PWDs having similar programs, the Department will do every time possible to chip in whenever funds allow.
“As a Department we are committed in supporting inclusivity and talent development for PWDs so the deaf athletic community participates in athlete’s volleyball, table tennis, badminton and they compete among other communities from all over the country,” she said.
“We call upon other organizations of PWDs who have such sports just to revisit our office so that we can see how we can work together. Resources may not be enough, but we will find a way to come in.”
By Samuel Maina
