Declare floods a national disaster, President Ruto told

Mathare Member of Parliament (MP) Anthony Oluoch urged President William Ruto to address the flood situation in the country and declare it a national disaster.

Speaking in a panel discussion on Citizen TV’s Daybreak, Oluoch stated that the government should declare the floods a disaster and put in place measures to address the calamity. 

“The first thing the Head of State should have done is to stop and address the nation. Address the nation on what the situation is, and what the government interventions that have been put in place are. Address the nation on how many people have lost their lives, what is going to be done to those who are missing, and get the government coordinated,” he said.

He added that there should be one government approach in tackling the disaster, as compared to having different government functions in different ministries.

“We need to be able to address where we resident disaster. where do we best place our resources so that when it comes to response who should we go to?” said the Mathare MP.

Oluoch said that issues of opening of schools and how much rain is to come in the coming days should have been addressed by the government beforehand.

Concurring with the Mathare MP was the Political Affairs Secretary, KANU Fred Okang'o who also questioned why President Ruto had not declared the flood situation in Kenya as a national disaster.

“This is a disaster. It has caused serious disruption, and therefore it has risks and threats. I don't know why President Ruto has not declared this a national disaster,” he stated.

“What we are seeing as challenges that we must address pronto is an uncoordinated approach to disaster management,” he said.

“There is an urgent need for the government to declare this a national disaster. President William Ruto must come out this morning and declare this a national disaster. The government must coordinate all relevant departments and authorities to ensure that there is smooth management of the risks that come with this disaster.”

The ongoing rainfall in the country continues to wreak havoc as the death toll rises to 93.

The developments have led to postponement of school opening.