The National Council of Churches has asked the government to assist families displaced by floods rebuild new homes.
While citing the scriptures in Galatians 6:9, the clergy said it’s God’s will that all people live dignified lives.
“It is therefore the mandate of all institutions to build resilient communities by enabling all people to have dignified livelihoods,” they said in a statement.
They spoke at the end of their 14th Regional Conference of the NCCK Upper Eastern Region held at Gitooro Pastoral Centre in Meru.
The two-day regional conference was themed ‘Dignified Livelihoods, Resilient Communities’.
The church leaders said the scripture in Micah 4:4 says, “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid."
“While appreciating the efforts by the government to rescue those who have been marooned and those displaced, we call upon all Kenyans to participate in providing assistance to our brothers and sisters,” the leaders added.
On their part, they said they took time during the conference and prayed for families of the 257 Kenyans who have so far lost their lives due to the ongoing flood disaster.
They said they also prayed for all those who have been injured or physically affected and those who have lost their houses and livelihoods due to the floods.
In a statement on Wednesday, Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura said floods have so far claimed the lives of 257 people, 19 having perished over the last 24 hours.
He said 188 people have been injured, 293,661 have been affected by the ongoing heavy rains while 54,837 households have been displaced by floods.
The leaders called on the government to intensify provision of relief and emergency accommodation to the affected families to bring their suffering to an end.
They pointed out that no Kenyan should be affected by floods year-in-year-out and challenged both the national and county governments to come up with clear and enforceable strategies to relocate citizens from locations that are at risk of flooding.
“On our part, we are working through our congregations to collect materials and funds to provide relief and support to those caught up in the emergency. Financial donations can also be sent through the NCCK Paybill number 519900,” the church leaders said.
