NAIROBI, Kenya, May 19 – Kenya has received a Sh422 million grant from the government of Japan for use in disaster management along the Nyando River Basin.
Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said the funds would be used to establish a flood management system in 24 villages of flood-prone areas of Nyando and Kisumu districts.
Mr Kenyatta said some of the structural measures to be undertaken in the project will include the construction of boreholes, evacuation centres and storage facilities.
“The development of community based flood management organisations and community flood management training and education programs for disaster prevention will be undertaken under the non-structural measures,” Mr Kenyatta said.
The Finance Minister said the project is envisaged to directly benefit 20,000 people in the 24 villages.
“This is crucial as this is one area that is faced with annual floods and our people lose property due to the same,” Mr Kenyatta said.
He expressed the government’s gratitude on receiving the grant which he noted would contribute greatly to the country’s effort to contribute and mitigate and adapt to climate change, which he said had been exemplified by erratic weather patterns affecting agriculture and exposing citizens to food deficiency among other ills.
Speaking at the signing ceremony Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Shigeo Iwatani said the project would be funded under Japan’s new financial mechanism named ‘Cool Earth Partnership Initiative.’
“Through this partnership, Japan will support developing countries in their fight against climate change control,” Mr Iwatani explained
He said the objective of the project was to improve flood management capacity through community driven disaster management programmes in the Nyando River Basin by providing both structural and non-structural measures to adapt the effects of climate change.
The project will be implemented by the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) while the ministry of Water and Irrigation will take overall responsibility.
