Crisis meeting: Sakaja meets Sifuna, other leaders to discuss flood mitigation
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has held an emergency meeting with elected leaders in Nairobi County to discuss flood mitigation measures.
The county is one of the hardest hit areas by the ongoing heavy rains, with more than 300,000 people displaced from their homes and around twenty deaths reported.
The meeting was attended by Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has recently criticised the governor for his poor performance.
The leadership of the Nairobi County Assembly and the County Executive attended the meeting, which was snubbed by a section of UDA MPs.
The county communications department reported that the meeting’s agenda was dominated by infrastructural and humanitarian support to alleviate the current flooding caused by heavy rains.
However, the senator said that an assessment by Azimio La Umoja had shown that the county’s disaster management department was overwhelmed and that national government support was urgently needed.
“As MPs, we just want to see a plan that we can get behind. The county government is overwhelmed and it is worrying that the aid promised by the national government has still not arrived in most of the affected areas,” said Sifuna.
The county said it was working with the national government, the National Police Service and the Kenya Red Cross to mitigate the situation.
In addition, the county said it has deployed all emergency services to the affected areas to provide the necessary support and manage the situation.
The county has also mapped the most affected areas which include Mathare, Korogocho, Mukuru and other areas.
In his recent communication, while assessing the situation in Mathare, the Governor urged residents to move to higher ground to avoid the wrath of Mother Nature.
The governor said his administration will use force to move some of the families in the dangerous areas, such as near the rivers and in the riparian areas.
Governor Sakaja is also expected to distribute food to the affected families at Shofco, in Kibra DCC Kibra area, where he will be accompanied by a group of Azimio MPs.