Government To Release Ksh 200 Billion To Deal With Floods

The heavy downpour that has continued to be witnessed in almost every part of the country over the last few weeks has continued to wreak havoc in several regions.

The meteorological department had forewarned Kenyans of the impending heavy rains, and while Kenyans may have been ready and even wished for the rains after a long dry season, the rains have caused more harm than good.

Apart from heavy traffic and congestion that has caused many people, especially Nairobi residents lost working hours, in regions prone to flooding, 132 people have died and losses incurred by affected people could possibly run into billions.

To deal with the disaster, the Government has been forced to release 200 billion shillings despite the already straining budget at the National Treasury.

It has been observed that the heavy rains have caused essential foodstuff prices to increase as only little amounts of food and grains were able to be transported from the gardens to the market.

For grains, a researcher at Egerton University’s affiliate, Tegemeo Institute, said that it is a problem when regions that produce grains such as maize to experience such heavy rains as transportation of the same is bound to be affected by not only lack of efficient transport but also there is the risk of aflatoxin contamination.

The researcher, Timothy Njagi explains that while cereals such as maize are essential in most Kenyan homes, it becomes risky when during transportation to the market the grains are exposed to moisture.

According to Mr. Njagi, post-harvest maize losses already stand at 12 percent, which translates to about five million bags of maize.

In the case of fruits and vegetables, which are highly perishable, the problem of impassable roads caused by floods in regions that produce these commodities has also led to a big loss.

According to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) communication director, John Cheboi, most roads have been damaged by the rains.

“We know the damage is big, but we cannot place to what extent. Until the rains subside, we cannot give the full accurate assessment of the state of roads,” said Cheboi.

The National Treasury has acknowledged the damages on infrastructure but is wary of it budget.

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Treasury, Ukur Yatani said that the Treasury envisioned that a total of three trillion will be used for expenditure but as it is, the government will be forced to release funds to contain damages caused.

The Treasury is also calling for fundraising where Kenyans and foreigners will contribute to the 10 billion shilling contingency kitty in the next three months, to help in countering the havoc caused by floods in 43 counties.

Natural disasters in Kenya are said to cost the state seven times more money in mitigation that what would have been spent if there were prior disaster prevention mechanism.

The disasters are mainly caused by extreme climatic conditions such as drought and floods, which create a liability equivalent to 2.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.

Because disasters have always thrown the government into increased spending of billions of shillings, and lower tax returns, the government sees the need to adopt disaster risk management planning, as a way of helping with spending within the budget, to improve the country’s economy.