Eldoret, March 12, 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The Deputy Governor, Dr John Erus, has today opened a workshop in Eldoret, in which the county and partners commenced a review of the Turkana Integrated Disaster Risk Management and Exit Plan Strategy.
The workshop which was supported by the International Organisation on Migration (IOM), brought together the County Government, World Vision Kenya, the Red Cross Society of Kenya, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), and the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC).
In his speech, DG Erus underscored the need for a flexible strategy that gives room for rapid response to risks and threats facing the county before they escalate to full disasters.
He added that the review will provide incentive to the county to fast-track the establishment of the Turkana County Disaster Risk Management Policy and Bill to strengthen response to disaster risks and threats.
Additionally, the DG divulged the county’s intention to establish and operationalise a situation room; a facility that functions as an incidence command centre to receive and process all disaster-related reports from across the county.
The Deputy Head of Mission at IOM, Sharif Faisal, who is also the Head of Programme and Policy Development, said that IOM would also support the county in working with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics on data sharing for evidence-informed disaster risk response.
Faisal also proposed the formation and capacity building of grassroot level DRM teams from the sub-county to the village level.
The vulnerability of Turkana with respect to disaster risks, the implementation of IOM support programmes in Loima and Turkana’s South and East sub-counties, and resource mobilisation for disaster management took centre-stage in the discussion.
The workshop comes at a time when the county is recovering from the twin challenges of flash floods and severe drought that led to disasters associated with widespread loss of livestock, acute water shortages and lack of pasture.
Present in the meeting were George Emase (Director, Climate Change) and Michael Aupe (Deputy Director of Resource Mobilisation).
