Following the heavy floods witnessed in Kenya in April and early March, President William Ruto announced that 27,000 people living in riparian land have been relocated.
Ruto stated that the government has allocated more than Ksh.300 million to provide alternative shelter for those displaced from the riverbeds.
“We have had to relocate 27,000 people from riparian reserves. We have spent close to Ksh.300 million to make sure that people who have been relocated have alternative places to stay. We still have another 30,000 that we are processing so as to relocate them,” remarked Ruto during the National prayer breakfast on Thursday.
The relocation exercise has led to the demolition of houses in areas such as Mathare, forcing residents to seek alternative shelter.
These demolitions have sparked public outrage, with homeowners reporting that bulldozers have unexpectedly destroyed their homes, resulting in injuries and deaths. Estimates from the National Treasury indicate that Kenya will need Ksh.2 billion to build and repair key infrastructure damaged by the heavy rains.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee on May 28, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo stated that an additional Ksh.1.8 billion will be allocated in the 2024-2025 budget for the restoration of school infrastructure.
A May 16 report from government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura revealed that the floods had claimed 291 lives across the country. Mwaura also detailed that 55,631 households had been displaced, affecting approximately 278,155 Kenyan citizens.
