The national government is distributing relief food to more than 1,800 families displaced by floods in Garissa county after River Tana burst its banks three days ago.
Some 550 bags of rice and 20 cartons of cooking oil were distributed to the victims camping at NEP Technical, Young Muslim, ATC and Hyuga Girls primary schools by county commissioner Meru Mwangi.
Addressing the press at Hyuga Girls on Tuesday after launching the drive, Mwangi said the victims will also receive non-food items such as tents, mosquito nets, water cans and medical supplies from the World Food Programme (WEP), the Kenya Red Cross and other aid agencies.
The commissioner said each of the six subcounties of Dadaab, Hulugho, Balambala, Fafi, Lagdera and Ijara received a consignment to assist victims.
He added that at the end of the exercise each family will have received ‘enough’ food to last them at least two weeks. Mwangi said the learning institutions opened their doors to the flood victims to allow social distancing and prevent them from contracting the coronavirus.
Galbet MCA Abdirizak Ismail, whose ward is among the worst hit, thanked the government for the donations and urged the county leadership to find a lasting solution to the flood problem.
He said the flood cycle used to be 10 years but in the recent past, the problem seems to be after every two to three months.
“These families were here about three months ago. The flood cycle has drastically changed and it’s now time we sit down as leaders, together with Kenya Power, to see how best to address this problem,” Abdirizak said.
“I'm suggesting that Kenya Power constructs more dams between Masinga dam and Garissa to hold the excess waters occasioned by spillage from the dams and avoid flooding downstream."
He said that the victims lose their livelihoods every time they are displaced and with frequency and intensity of the floods, they "might never recover".
The ward representative urged the victims to observe social distancing and other government guidelines to avoid contracting and spreading Covid-19. He also urged the Health ministry to support the victims in maintaining hygiene at the camp to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases.
Edited by F'Orieny