- Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has urged the national government to treat the ongoing floods in the country as a national disaster
- The governor warned leaders against turning the tragedy into a political forum, and called for cooperation in helping the victims
- Sakaja also defended the controversial evacuation along the Nairobi River, saying the move helped avert the worst humanitarian disaster during the heavy rains.
Governor of Nairobi Johnson He has requested that the bad floods affecting some areas in the country should be declared a national disaster.
Source: Facebook
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, March 8, the governor said the level of destruction and the increase in the number of deaths in several areas shows that the epidemic goes beyond Nairobi and requires a coordinated national response.
“This is a national tragedy. Almost half of the deaths have occurred in other parts of the country as well, and those lives are important too,” Sakaja said during the interview.
Did Sakaja defend the evacuation of the Nairobi River?
Sakaja also defended the county government’s decision to evacuate residents living along the Nairobi River, saying the move prevented a major disaster as the river burst its banks during heavy rains.
The evacuation drew sharp criticism from some political leaders and activists at the time, although the governor maintained that the move was necessary to protect lives in areas that appear to be at high risk of flooding.
“Leadership is about providing solutions, not playing politics. Sometimes those solutions require painful decisions to save lives. If we had not moved people from the Nairobi River, the number of people who lost their lives during the floods would have been higher,” he said.
According to Sakaja, long-term solutions need to address decades of poor planning and aging infrastructure that have caused the city to struggle every time it rains.
Why does Nairobi flood easily?
During the interview, the governor explained that Nairobi’s drainage system was designed many years ago for a small city and cannot cope with the current level of rainfall.
He noted that rapid population growth and urban expansion have put a lot of pressure on the infrastructure that was built earlier when Nairobi had a fraction of its current population.
“There is no quick fix for this city; we are facing a generational infrastructure deficit. Most of the drainage systems and plans were designed for a city of about 500,000 people, but today we are dealing with a much larger population,” Sakaja said.
He revealed that completely overhauling the capital’s drainage system would cost about KSh 25 billion, while running the city efficiently would require more funding than the current allocation the county receives.
The governor argued that Nairobi needs a special funding system because of the unique needs placed on the capital city.
He added that existing laws already provide a mechanism for the city to obtain additional resources. Sakaja went on to say that the capital city was built on a swamp, recalling being stuck during the El Nino rains in 1997.
Source: Facebook
How is Nairobi’s cooperation with the national government?
Sakaja said the county government has been cooperating with the national government to deal with highways, waterways and other important infrastructures that are outside the jurisdiction of the county.
He explained that solving the Nairobi flood crisis will require continuous investment and cooperation between different levels of government.
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