Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has asked artisanal miners to suspend their operations until the rains subside.
He said artisanal mining sites are high-risk areas in the county, especially during heavy rains.
“We need to caution those residents in the gold mining area to keep off for now because it is a high-risk area,” Barasa said.
He said the rains have affected areas along River Nzoia, including Chevaywa ward in Lugari, Namamali in Matungu, Etenje in Mumias West and Kisa Central in Khwisero.
The governor said reports from his officers indicate the Shinyalu-Ingolomosio road has been cut off, while Shichenje-Shianda road is impassable.
Barasa urged residents to be cautious as the rains have caused soil erosion.
“We have also received reports of cases of sinking toilets, especially in some schools in Mumias West. We have sent our team to assess the situation and act,” he said.
“We have received reports that malaria has become prevalent. We are now having a programme of distributing mosquito nets through the Ministry of Health and the department of public health.”
Barasa said the county government has sent a team to support to families that have been affected by the overflowing River Nzoia.
“Our agricultural officers are also assessing the impact on this so that necessary steps can be taken in collaboration with the national government,” he said.
Due to the increasing rains, the governor has formed a disaster preparedness team to act on and prevent challenges caused by the rains.
The disaster preparedness committee comprises officers from the county government, the national government and other partners from the private sector and non-governmental organisations, including rescue teams.
“We are also trying to educate our people to stay safe,” Barasa said.
He said as part of climate change mitigation measures, the county government is targeting to plant five million trees every year to contribute towards the national government target of 15 billion trees by 2032.
“So far, we have planted 500,000 trees and we want to make it a culture in that any time we go to an event or a meeting, we start with tree-planting before any other activity so we achieve our 15 billion target,” the governor said.
The county has a forest cover of over 90 per cent and more efforts are being put in place to protect and preserve the Kakamega Forest and trees that are grown across the county, he said.
“Very soon we will be launching the second phase of fencing off Kakamega Forest. We have mobilised almost Sh100 million. We have contributed Sh60 million as Kakamega county, Vihiga county government and other partners have raised the rest of the amount,” Barasa said.