On Monday morning, President William Ruto led an urgent meeting with his Cabinet at State House, Nairobi, to address the escalating El Nino-related crisis.
The nation is grappling with widespread floods that have tragically resulted in loss of lives, forced families to evacuate, caused extensive property damage and cut off some major towns for the rest of the country.
The current toll indicates that more than 70 lives have been lost, and a staggering 80,000 households have been displaced across 33 affected counties.
The Kenya Women’s Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) has called on the government to initiate urgent and concerted efforts to mitigate the impacts of El Nino rains ravaging different parts of the country.
Led by the KEWOPA vice-chair and Dagoretti North Member of Parliament (MP)Beatrice Elachi the women parliamentarians who were addressing the press at Stoni Athi termed the current situation as dire and called on the government to declare the ongoing rainfall as a national disaster.
“We should also unite and come together to deal with the issue of El Nino rains,” said Elachi.
Her sentiments were reiterated by Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda who asked the government to expedite interventions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the affected communities.
“As a nation, we should pull our resources together and avoid blame games. As KEWOPA we emphasize those affected by the rains including displacements and loss of livelihoods be assisted out of the menace and suffering. We also convey our condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones due to the rains,” said Lesuuda.
She called on Kenyans to follow safety guidelines issued by relevant agencies on El Nino rains to avert further loss of lives.
“As KEWOPA we shall also collaborate with the national government, county governments, and any other stakeholder to offer the necessary support,” said the Samburu West MP.
