Nairobi receives Sh200m aid for floods and building collapses

The Nairobi County has received Sh200 million from the United Kingdom to boost its disaster preparedness. 

The money will go to the implementation of the Nairobi Multi-Hazard Urban Risk Transition project, which will be responsible for training and equipping county personnel with the requisite knowledge on disaster preparedness, response and management.

Speaking during the official handing over of the funds, Mark Pelling from Kings College in London said the project would run for the next four to five years, with Nairobi expected to receive approximately Sh2 billion over the entire period.

“The aim of the funding is to ensure Nairobi moves away from reactionary disaster management and embraces disaster preparedness,” he said.

Kathmandu in Nepal, Quito in Ecuador and Istanbul in Turkey have also secured such funding to boost their disaster preparedness.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko said the funds would be used in training of personnel as well as purchase and refurbishment of disaster response equipment and centres.

“We are keen on ensuring that no life is lost to disasters,” he said.

Jones Atela, from the African Centre for Technology Studies and co-director of the project said disaster preparedness was a major challenge for cities.

“We will be involved in the formulation and implementation of disaster management policies," said Dr Atela.