Nairobi County To Spend Sh1B On Purchasing Boats And Rafts For El Niño

Nairobi county government estimates to spend at least one billion shillings in alleviating the effects of El Niño rains that the weatherman has predicted to start anytime this month.

On disaster preparedness during El Niño, the county government is in the process of purchasing inflatable and motorboats ahead of El Niño in the next one week apart from offering psychosocial support and counselling to not only those affected by climate and ecological grief but also the county staff on the front-line.

People living along river banks in Nairobi could be severely affected by flooding like has been the case in the past.

The County Government has also been busy mapping out 500 El Niño hotspots in Nairobi and adds that about 5000 structures erected on riparian land will be affected by flooding.

According to Bramwel Simiyu, the Chair of Nairobi county El Niño taskforce, they have identified alternative shelters for those living on riparian lands susceptible to flooding, churches, social halls and schools where they will be accommodated. One such shelter is Joseph Kang’ethe Hall in Kibra.

The county says that their interventional supplies will cater for approximately 200,000 people who we think will be directly affected.