In response to the heavy rains causing flash floods and resulting in fatalities, displacing over 20,000 households, and causing traffic disruptions across the country, President William Ruto has directed select Ministries to take immediate action.
In a statement released on April 24, 2024, Ruto announced that he held a meeting with leaders in counties and regions affected by the ongoing heavy rains.
“Consequently, I directed the ministries of Interior and EAC, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development, and the National Youth Service to immediately respond to the situation caused by the floods,” read part of the statement.
According to the Head of State, the named agencies will immediately escalate multi-agency response efforts.
Meanwhile, Raila Odinga appealed to President William Ruto yesterday to declare the ongoing heavy floods a national disaster, as cases of displacement and deaths rise across various parts of the country.
Addressing the press on Wednesday evening, the opposition chief urged the Head of State to deploy military response units as part of an emergency protocol to help mitigate the damage caused by the floods.
He also called for the establishment of an emergency fund to assist flood victims, noting that opposition-allied Members of Parliament have collectively raised a donation of Kes.1 million, which will be presented to the Kenya Red Cross for this purpose.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, the death toll from floods across the country had surpassed 48 as of Wednesday, April 24, with Nairobi reporting the highest number of casualties.
Venant Ndhigila, the Head of Disaster Operations at the Kenya Red Cross, stated that the recorded deaths were a consequence of Kenyans disregarding warnings issued by the organization.
He elaborated that despite the humanitarian organization repeatedly cautioning against walking or driving in flooded areas, Kenyans chose to ignore these warnings.
