The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of East African Community, ASALs, and Regional Development, Mr. Harsama Kellow, has expressed optimism that the Disaster Risk Management Bill, currently under consideration in the Senate, will significantly enhance disaster management across Kenya once enacted into law.
Speaking on Thursday before the Departmental Committee on Regional Development, Mr. Kellow responded to a performance audit report by the Auditor-General on flood management, emphasizing the Bill’s potential to establish a National Disaster Management Authority.
This Authority will oversee disaster management nationwide, addressing critical issues such as poor coordination, duplication of efforts, and resource wastage.
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“This new Authority will address existing challenges such as poor coordination, duplication of efforts, and resource wastage, which currently hinder effective disaster management in the country,” stated Mr. Kellow.
During disasters, he highlighted the confusion caused by conflicting reports from organizations like the Kenya Red Cross, State House, county disaster departments, and other NGOs. The Bill aims to streamline these efforts, ensuring precise and consistent communication.
Mr. Kellow also stressed the importance of early warning systems and proactive measures in disaster preparedness.
He urged counties to lead in educating communities about the necessity of early action for successful flood interventions.
“Counties remain the first line of responders and are well-positioned to encourage and support communities in taking early action,” he emphasized.
Addressing concerns about the relief process, Mr. Kellow acknowledged several issues, including insufficient relief supplies, delivery delays, incomplete data, and inadequate accountability mechanisms.
He noted that while the ministry often faces resource limitations, it seeks support from other actors to ensure timely delivery of relief supplies. In flood-affected areas, the ministry utilizes air transport to distribute relief food.
Regarding the formal request process for relief supplies, Mr. Kellow reiterated that all county allocations must be based on official requests.
However, he assured that deserving counties are not denied supplies due to administrative oversights by county officials.
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