The national and Kakamega County governments have assured residents that they are prepared to respond to emergencies that may arise from the anticipated El Niño rains.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa and County Commissioner James Rwaria gave the assurance yesterday after co-chairing a joint preparedness and mitigation committee meeting at the county government headquarters.
The two officials said the two levels of government were working together to put measures in place to protect residents and ensure a swift response to emergencies during the rainy season.
Barasa said the meeting focused on activating the county emergency operations plan, health emergency plan, and disaster and contingency plan to strengthen preparedness, response, and mitigation measures.
“The purpose of the joint meeting was to activate the county emergency operations plan, the health emergency plan, and the disaster and contingency plan through robust preparedness, response, and mitigation for the heavy rains expected between the beginning of October and February next year,” said Barasa.
The governor urged artisanal miners in Ikolomani, Shinyalu, Lugari, Khwisero, and Lurambi to temporarily suspend mining activities during the rainy season.
He also called on sand harvesters operating along River Nzoia and other water bodies to halt their activities, warning that continued mining in tunnels and sand harvesting along riverbanks could expose people to serious risks as water levels rise.
Barasa also encouraged farmers to take advantage of the anticipated rains by planting short-term and early-maturing crops that could provide food and income during and after the rainy season.
“Although we anticipate heavy rainfall that is a threat to our infrastructure and may cause serious health and food security challenges, we are appealing to our farmers to take advantage of the rains to cultivate early-maturing crops and harvest the water,” he said.
The governor said proper water harvesting would help communities make productive use of the rains while reducing the risks associated with excess water.
Rwaria said disaster response teams and other relevant government agencies were ready to deal with challenges that could arise from the rains.
“It has been confirmed that the probability of these rains occurring is over 80 per cent, meaning more rains are expected. However, as a county, we now have in place a joint county coordinated committee on El Niño rains preparedness, and we want to make sure that we prevent any loss of lives and damage to property. That is our main goal,” he said.
He said preparedness measures were being implemented at all levels, from individual households and locations to sub-counties and the county level.
Rwaria emphasised that preparedness was a continuous process requiring the participation of government agencies, communities, and other stakeholders.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait and Shilla Nicolle Akinyi
