Nandi County has put in adequate measures to curb the devastating effects of El Nino rains that are soon expected across the country.
Deputy Governor Dominic Biwott has said the county government has set aside shs. 500 million in preparation for the rains, given that the county is prone to heavy rains all round the year.
In collaboration with Red Cross, St. John Ambulance and the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK), Biwott said the county was well prepared to counter the expected effects of the rains.
Areas that are expected to be severely affected by the rains according to the Biwott are Nandi Hills, Tindiret, Mosop, Chesumei and Aldai constituencies given the nature of their terrains. The specific areas he said are Meteitei, Chepterwai, Samoo and Chemase respectively.
Biwott said already a Disaster Management and Response Committee has been established adding that the committee will be liaising and reporting directly to the governor’s office.
‘Further, we have an effective communication structure which will assist affected residents to communicate to the government for any humanitarian help,’ said Biwott.
Moreover , Biwott said that the county is expected to experience heavy mudslides, landslides and lightning strikes. ‘Others include heavy losses in agriculture, livestock and homesteads,’ said Biwott.
The DG at the same time called on county residents to cooperate and move out of areas prone to landslides before it is too late, adding that El Nino had become a reality and was going to happen.
Speaking separately, Members of County Assembly (MCAs) from regions prone to landslides called on the national government to resettle residents who stay along the escarpments.
Led by Tindiret MCA Kipkirui Chepkwony, the MCAs called on the government to ensure funds set aside by the National EL Nino Coordination Centre in Nairobi are effectively disbursed to areas in Nandi that will be affected by the rains.
Chepkwony said more than 100 families were displaced during the 1997 rains, indicating that the same areas of Kamelii, Cheirir, Koisegem, Taptengelei, Setek, Usoon, Sirwa and Cherondo in Tindiret Constituency have always been affected by landslides.
Chepkwony at the same time urged the government to provide driers to residents who will now be forced to harvest maize before they fully get dry in the shambas. ‘The driers will assist farmers who will be forced to harvest early so that they do not incur losses,’ he said.
He said the county assembly will pass a motion that will create a special fund for a Disaster Management committee that will be used in future by the county executive during preparations for the same.
Present during the briefing also were MCAs from wards likely to be affected including Kiptoo Koros,Justine Jepnyango and Monica Sirma and Sally Lelei.