A report has emerged noting that the number of lives recently lost in disasters, caused by floods, across the country could have been reduced if Members of the Parliament (MPs) could have passed a bill in the House.
The Disaster Bill, which was tabled in Parliament last year, sought to have the government allocate contingency funds to counties in the case of any disasters.
Currently, the matter falls under the Ministry of Interior, under which the National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC) operates, and the Ministry of Devolution, where the Department of Special Programmes lies.
[caption caption="File image of Members of Parliament (MPs)"]
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According to an official at the NDOC, the situation is "complicated" by the devolving of disaster management to counties, leaving the mandate of coordination to the national government.
"At the national level, we only step in to assist counties when the disaster is beyond the counties' capacity and there is a need for intervention,” exclaimed the senior official at NDOC who spoke to the Standard.
However, since the Bill was not passed, the Government declined to allocate a Ksh.4.4 billion contingency fund to counties to manage disasters.
"The delayed consideration and passage of the Disaster Bill is a contributor to the happenings. The Bill has been lying in the National Assembly since last year. It addresses the issue of funding and response chains,” the NDOC official added.
Under the current budget, the Ministry of Devolution was allocated Ksh8.9 billion, whereas the Ministry of Interior received Ksh130 billion.
In the supplementary budget, the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee chaired by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa approved Sh300 million to address flooding.
On Thursday, Nominated Senator Rose Nyamunga faulted the Government's disaster preparedness, arguing that the President was not direct in his commitment to dealing with emergencies.
"The Government should be able to mitigate against such occurrences and save the people untold sufferings. Many people are affected by floods despite the budgetary allocation. This is life and death,” Ms Nyamunga exclaimed.
[caption caption="File image of Interior CS Fred Matiang'i during his visit to Solai Dam Region"]
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