The Members of Parliament (MPs) have urged the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Preparedness to put in place mitigation strategies for disasters in the country instead of responding when the disasters have already occurred.
The recommendation came on Thursday after the Woman MP for Omoro District, Catherine Lamwaka, requested for a disaster response to parts of the district that were recently hit with hailstorms which destroyed food crops and houses. Lamwaka made the appeal during a sitting of Parliament.
Lamwaka said that a total of 891 acres of crops including sim sim, cassava, maize and cotton were destroyed. “We need the Ministry to come and help the people especially with food and short gestation period crops which can mature and yield food quickly,” she said.
John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County) added that the National Meteorological Authority issued a warning of a looming El Niño which also requires attention of the Ministry. “I suggest that the Minister comes up with mitigation measures to be communicated countrywide rather than being reactionary because the looming threat could deliver a lot of damage,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah, who was presiding over the House said disasters have become an annual occurrence and need to be tackled. “That we have floods and advance drought every year is something to be expected. It is only natural that the Ministry comes up with a plan in preparation for these looming disasters,” he said.
The Minister of State for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said climate change is affecting the country greatly and is characterised by extreme weather conditions.
“During the dry season, it is very dry and during the wet season it is very wet with heavy rains and floods destroying crops among other things,” he said.
He however said that the Ministry had drafted a report on the extent of damage in Omoro and promised to send a response the following day. “Last year, we compiled a report and I can assure you we shall come up with a plan with the concerned Ministries to mitigate these disaster issues that are imminent,” he said.