KAKAMEGA FORMS EL NINO PREPAREDNESS TEAM AS RAINS POUND PARTS OF THE COUNTY

The County Government of Kakamega through the Department of Environment and Climate change has moved with speed to form a multisectoral Committee that will coordinate awareness and disaster management following an advisory by the Kenya Meteorological Department on expected higher than normal rainfall in most parts of the Country in this last quarter of the year, 2023.

The CEC Member for Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate change Mrs Peninah Mukabane chaired the inception meeting in Kakamega and said the committee that comprises of the County departments of Disaster Management, Security, Communication, Agriculture and Health as well as other key National Government Agencies will provide coordinated awareness campaigns to the residents with an aim of mitigating the effects of the heavy rains.

Malava, Matungu, Mumias East and Navakholo are some of the Sub-Counties that are expected to witness disasters such as floods, lightning strikes and mudslides resulting from the rains.

Environment and Climate change Chief Officer Mr Justin Mutobera called for capacity building of Government staff mostly those working in disasters prone areas on the ways of handling the effects at their places of work.

The Director Meteorological Department in the County Mr Vincent Sakwa took the participants through the El Nino weather cycle and urged for adequate preparations to mitigate the losses brought about during heavy precipitation.

The El Nino season is occasioned by periodic building up of a large pool of annually warm waters in large parts of the Eastern and Central Equatorial Pacific Ocean which affects the global climate and disrupts normal weather patterns leading to massive destruction and loss of life especially when there is no preparedness of the same.