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Gachagua urges governors to reallocate money from existing budgets to aid flood victims

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. (Photo: PCS)

By Dennis Tarus | Wednesday, November 22, 2023

The DP said the county chiefs are expected to use emergency money "within their financial provision and reallocate money within their budget to intervene for the people that they govern."

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on governors to do their part by channelling funds to help flood victims in their respective counties.

The DP said there was an existing agreement on a coordination framework between the national government, the county governments and development partners.

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"We agreed that the county coordination teams, which are co-chaired by the governors and the county commissioners, will be the forum through which to channel help," Gachagua said on Wednesday during the Development Partnership Forum in Nairobi.

The DP said the county chiefs are expected to use emergency money "within their financial provision and reallocate money within their budget to intervene for the people that they govern."

"However, there has been a misconception. that some county governments have been waiting for the national government to give them money. for this intervention. That is not the case."

Gachagua said the national government will provide funds through the county coordination teams.

"No funds coming"

"The development partners and humanitarian agencies will do the same, and we expect the county governments to also do the same. We are shocked to see governors complaining that they are yet to receive money for El Nino from the national government...such money is not forthcoming." the DP said.

Gachagua singled out the county governments of Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Kwale and Busia for setting aside funds to complement those from the national government and development partners.

"I want the other county governments to do the same within what they have from the shareable revenue to commit funds for assisting flood victims and to see what other interventions they can make," the DP said.

Gachagua said the national government had last week released Sh2.4 billion as an initial injection into the efforts and promised to continue releasing more funds for the interventions.

The DP's statement comes a day after Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir came out to dispute the fact that the government had disbursed billions for El Niño response to the counties.

"For the avoidance of doubt, despite the challenges, the County Government of Mombasa has managed its disaster response from our own source revenue and with the support of the Red Cross, other Non-Governmental Organizations and independent entities with goodwill," Abdulswamad said.

"Parliament and the Controller of Budget should investigate these claims of disbursement of Sh10 billion and clarify to the people of Kenya where this money actually went because it did not come to the counties."

The Northern and Coastal regions have borne the brunt of the devastating El Nino rains that continue to wreak havoc leaving behind a trail of death and destruction across Kenya.

There are fears that those killed countrywide by the floods are over 60, a worrying rise from the 46 already declared by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki just a week ago on 13 November 2023.

The Kenya Red Cross Society puts the number of those displaced by raging floods at more than 80,000.