New Bill seeks to improve response to disasters in Kenya

Isiolo Women’s Representative Tiyah Galgalo. A Bill to be tabled in Parliament and sponsored by Galgalo contains new proposals to establish a one-stop-shop to co-ordinate emergency responses. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

The country's erratic reaction to disasters could be a thing of the past.

A Bill to be tabled in Parliament contains new proposals to establish a one-stop-shop to co-ordinate emergency responses. 

The draft Disaster Management bill seeks to establish a Disaster Risk Management Authority which shall liaise with the national and county governments to deal with catastrophes, and also offer advice on disaster risk management measures.

It also seeks to establish a Disaster Risk Management Fund to provide cash for disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery measures.

Under the proposals the Government shall be compelled to pay into the fund not less than two per cent of its total revenue in addition to any aid or assistance received to manage disasters in the country.

The Bill also proposes the formation of a County Disaster Risk Management committee, chaired by the governor, and which shall be charged with the responsibility of advising the county governments on matters relating to disaster management.

The Bill is the first attempt to introduce a legal framework for disaster management in the country.

Lack of co-ordination in disaster management has often been blamed for the country's slow response to crises, which has often resulted in unnecessary loss of lives.

If the proposed Bill becomes law, it would be possible toquickly mobilise resources and mitigate against deadly outcomes of catastrophes such as drought, floods and terror attacks.

"Where a disaster occurs or is likely to occur, the authority shall immediately assess the magnitude and severity or potential magnitude and severity of the disaster; classify the disaster as a county or national disaster and record the prescribed particulars concerning the disaster in the prescribed register," proposes the Bill.

The Government has often been blamed for rushing to deal with such emergency situations long after they have happened, mainly due to poor early warning systems.  

As the co-ordinating body for disaster response, the authority shall put in place systems to promote public-private partnerships in disaster risk management.

According to the sponsor of the Bill, Isiolo Women’s Representative Tiyah Galgalo, previous efforts to introduce the legislation have been unsuccessful, even as the country struggles to manage disasters.

"We have been telling the Government to come up with a legislative framework to deal with disasters in the country, but this has not been forthcoming," she said.