Pokot mudslide exposes sloppy disaster response

A vehicle drives through a damaged bridge at Ortum in West Pokot. Weiwei and Sebit bridges were washed away by floods, cutting off transport between Kitale and Lodwar. Disaster coordination is still a challenge for Government agencies. [Kevin Tunoi, Standard]

The deadly mudslides and floods that hit West Pokot ten days ago, leaving 43 people dead, have exposed the country’s poor disaster response coordination.

Several teams comprising the county government, humanitarian organisations, Ministry of Interior and Coordination and political leaders were seemingly reading from different scripts in response to the disaster.