Isiolo residents have called upon the State and non-state actors to increase the interventions being channeled to families affected by floods, who are now in excess of eighteen thousand.
Speaking during a food distribution exercise targeting affected households in Ngaremara, Burat and Kinna Wards courtesy of ActionAid and the County Government of Isiolo, the affected residents described their situation as dire, appealing for more aid in the form of both food and non-food items to help them overcome the challenge posed by the heavy downpour, and resultant flood waters from the upper regions of the neighboring Meru County.
Most of the residents said that their greatest need currently was food while others said they needed tents to set up temporary homes elsewhere, as their houses have been marooned by flood waters.
Others still said they needed mosquito nets, medicine and water purifiers.
According to the assistant chief of Kiwanja sub location, Ngaremara Division William Matet, the affected residents in his area had not received any form of aid before Action Aid intervened to help thirty households, with both Government and non-governmental organisations focusing on other areas that are seemingly more affected.
He called for more urgent interventions to be done to divert the flood water and help flood victims to put food on the table.
Matet said that the residents were living in fear in their houses especially during the night when it rains as flood water continues to invade their homes.
According to the officer in charge of Climate Change Interventions at ActionAid Cynthia Asafi, the organisation has targeted eighty residents from the Wards who have been identified as the most affected by the floods menace for the relief interventions.
The benefiting households in the targeted areas received 8kgs of maize flour, 8kgs of rice, 3 liters of cooking oil, green grams, sanitary towels, nets, tents and water purifiers.
Cynthia, however, admitted that the aid was very little compared to the large number of people in dire need of assistance.
Cases of disease outbreak have also been reported in Ngaremara and Burat areas, with residents complaining of diarrhoea and stomach aches.
Francis Ekitela, a resident and area manager of Shambani village in Burat ward said that many people in the area have also been diagnosed with Malaria in Burat area, due to the perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes, which have also become yet another nuisance to locals.
The residents said that the hunger situation has also been worsened by difficulties in accessing markets to get supplies since the road network is cut off by flood waters.
Francis, said that he was experiencing difficulties in identifying the ones to give food to as there were many needy cases.
Isiolo County Government’s chief officer in charge of Special Programmes Hassan Abdulahi, said that the number of households affected by the flooding menace in the county has now reached 18,502, with over 4,800 already displaced from their homes.
He called upon members of public to take seriously the early warning messages being issued through the media in order to avoid more deaths from occurring, noting that so far, the flood waters have claimed six lives in the county.
Bruno Mutunga
