Controversy surrounding the government’s response to El Niño took a new turn on Wednesday after governors said the state has not disbursed emergency funds to counties.
Through the Council of Governors chairperson Anne Waiguru, they told Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to “stop populist politics in matters of life and death”.
“This is not the time to point fingers. This is not the time to make accusations, and this is not the time for populist politics. This is the time to put our hands together and ensure we reduce as much as possible the suffering of Kenyans,” Waiguru said.
The Interior ministry said at least 70 Kenyans have been killed by floods. Waiguru spoke at her Westlands office during the signing of an intergovernmental partnership for the county aggregation and industrial parks, from which 18 counties will benefit. She heaped the blame on the national government, saying it has failed to provide resources to the devolved units.
“As a matter of fact, counties are owed Sh62.58 billion from the equitable share that is yet to be disbursed,” Waiguru said.
She said 13 counties are owed Sh0.17 billion for the month of September. Waiguru said 27 counties are owed Sh19.64 billion for the month of October.
DP Gachagua claimed on Tuesday that the national government has released Sh10 billion to counties to mitigate the effects of the rains. He said the funds were meant to support flood victims. Gachagua was speaking in Mombasa when he distributed relief food to families affected by floods. He hit out at Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, saying he had failed to alleviate the suffering of the people despite the availability of the funds. The weatherman has predicted the country will continue to receive rain this week. A five-day forecast shows rains continuing between today and Saturday over most parts of the country.
Waiguru said the two levels of government should come together and intensify the response strategies to mitigate the complex risks arising from heavy rains and flooding, in addition to the existing humanitarian challenges.
“Counties have, in part, with their emergency funds, put in place mitigation measures to support their constituents, and we are asking all stakeholders to partner with the county government to alleviate the suffering of the Kenyan people,” Waiguru said.
She said the devolved units are only allowed to use up to five per cent of the development funds for emergencies.
“Beyond that, you are not allowed to use money from development to emergencies unless you go through the processes of budgeting, where you have to seek the approval of the county assembly to put a specific resource on an issue like this one,” Waiguru said.
The Kirinyaga governor said she had received disturbing reports coming from Wajir, where most places have been marooned by water. “He [Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi] has tried to airlift medicine and food using choppers, but two of those choppers crash-landed. It is a very serious time where Kenyans must pull together to see how we can help one another during these devastating times. “I urge all the political actors to make reasonable statements and actions that will help the people of Kenya alleviate the suffering.”
All roads leading to Wajir are said to have been cut off, making the transportation of food and medicine to the county impossible. Nandi Governor Stephen Sang echoed Waiguru’s sentiments, saying the counties affected by the devastating floods are still reeling from the effects of the drought.
“This is happening within the same year. A lot of these counties spent their resources on drought mitigation, and now they are hit by the El Niño rains, and you can hear we are still owed over Sh62 billion by the national government. Honestly, this is the time for the national government to ensure counties receive all their equitable share, and also at the national level, we have resources for disaster preparedness and response. Why are we not receiving that money in our accounts?”
The Nandi governor said they think the statement from the DP about Sh10 billion being released to devolved units was being made in some context.
“We hear that the national government has a lot of choppers available. Our colleagues are trying to get medication and supplies to their counties. We should not be talking to each other through the press; we should be able to have coordinated efforts,” Sang said.
He said the national government and county government have a mechanism to speak to each other so that the governors affected can be told to access some of the facilities, such as choppers.
“We must also exercise some restraint and make some reasonable statements. Let us work together. We shouldn’t be talking at each other, but let us talk together to address this issue,” Sang said.
By Janet Namalwa