Nairobi — Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says Kenya is officially experiencing El Nino, weeks after President William Ruto downscaled the alert.
Speaking during a press conference in Nairobi, the deputy President stated that as a result.
He however stated that a number of measures have been put in place to assist those affected by floods that include Military and National Police Service being tasked with operating a command centre.
"The Kenya Defence Forces is running an operation centre at the KDF headquarters. The Ministry of Interior is providing security response around the clock and assisting in monitoring the situation and updating all the other agencies in real time,"
"We appeal to our development partners for enhanced financial and logistical support. We would also like the county governments to re-allocate resources to mitigate this emergency."
Speaking during the briefing, the Kenya Meteorological Department Director Director David Gikungu apologised for the miscommunication.
"It was initially given in he focus that we have El Nino in this short rain season. We do apologise for the lack of communication or miscommunication becasue that was a big mistake, but we are sorry about that. Let us prepare ourselves for the enhanced rainfall that is El Nino," he stated.
The government had previously stated that it will require at least Sh10 billion to manage the possible effect of El Nino rains.
He stated that "through a mult-agency approach, we have instituted various ways to save the lives of Kenyans and property in the context of the heavy rains being experienced in the country."
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He indicated that the government is working with development partners to mitigate the negative impact of the phenomenon.
"Working with our development partners, counties, and other key agencies, we are distributing food and non-food items to tens of families affected to reduce their suffering. The National Emergency Response Committee is coordinating a consolidated approach for efficiency and effective action," he said.
"This is preventing duplication of the response as well as ensuring no place or person is left behind. We are also supplying safe and clean water and addressing other sanitation concerns in the various rescue centres. As we call for more support from our development partners and the private sector, we will deploy all the necessary resources to avert loss of lives and livelihoods."
