Kilifi County Steering Group (CSG) led by the office of the County Commissioner on Tuesday unveiled an initiative of intervention to support vulnerable families that will be most affected by flooding caused by heavy rains in Kilifi and Tana River Counties. The 3 months’ project dubbed Supporting Vulnerable Communities, Anticipate and Mitigate Impact of Potential El Nino-Induced Floods will be executed by the Somali Lifeline Organization (SOLO) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) The interventions from the CSG come at a much-needed time when some parts of Kilifi County have recently been affected by flush floods as a result of heavy rainfall, which is anticipated to continue throughout November as per the Kenya Meteorological Department. Speaking to the media during the CSG meeting in Kilifi, SOLO Executive Director Hussein Abdi explained that the project funded by the German government is an emergency project that is responding to the flood crisis and will be providing support in the implementation of Kilifi County Floods Contingency Plan that was launched in October. ‘SOLO in partnership with FAO Kenya has got a project funded by the German government and it will be supporting communities that are affected by the flooding as a result of the El Nino rains in the country,’ he said. The project which targets at least 750 households will be carried out in the most flood-prone areas in Magarini Sub-County according to the CSG recommendation. He said that some of the beneficiaries will gain access to agriculture inputs while others will benefit from the Cash for Work program where they will be receiving Shs 9,100 for digging canals on their farms that will direct potential flood waters appropriately to avoid flooding. According to the director, beneficiaries will also receive veterinary services including de-worming, mass vaccination, and Rift Valley fever treatment. This intervention will be targeting 270,000 livestock. ‘For the agricultural input, we will be targeting 750 households in Kilifi. We will also target 1,200 households in Tana River County. These will receive agricultural inputs and cash transfers. We will also be providing veterinary services and reaching 270,000 livestock,’ he explained. Kilifi County Government Executive Committee (CEC) member for Special Programs and Disaster Management Ruth Masha lauded the initiative while emphasizing on the importance of the multi-sectoral approach in handling the flood crisis in Kilifi. Masha added that the County Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Matsangoni is always ready to handle flood emergencies and has already been facilitating intervention measures during the recent rains. The CSG also identified the worst hit areas by floods in the county where the interventions will be most needed.

Source: Kenya News Agency