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Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has hit out at President William Ruto over his administration’s response to the ongoing floods wreaking havoc across different parts of the country.

Speaking during the burial ceremony of former Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Member of County Assembly (MCA) Abedi Marua in Kuria West on Saturday, November 25, 2023, Raila expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Kenya Kwanza administration was responding to the crisis noting that its high time the government steps up measures to address the situation and secure the lives of Kenyans.

The former prime minister also accused the president of sleeping on his job despite the early warnings issued by the Kenya Meteorological Department.

“Watu wanakufa, sasa wanasema watu sitini tayari wamekufa kwa mambo hii ya mafuriko lakini hawa majamaa wanalala kwa kazi. Yeye anakaa kule anajaribu kulaumu magavana lakini magavana hawajapewa pesa ya kuangalia hii maneno ya mafuriko, jamaa wanalala kwa kazi, Ruto alisema hakuna El Nino, imekuja haijakuja?” he posed.

The ODM leader also chided Ruto for blaming former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime for the current economic situation.

“Hawa majamaa wameshindwa na kazi, bado wanalaumu Uhuru lakini Uhuru alishaenda nyumbani,” he added.

The latest comes even as Ruto assured Kenyans that the government will intensify measures to safeguard lives.

Ruto who was speaking on Saturday noted that the government will intensify flood disaster response to tackle the floods.

He also stated that a National Disaster Operation Centre has been operationalised to mitigate the crisis.

“As you are all aware, last week the government of Kenya made available resources to the ministry of Asals to make sure that adequate food is available already 2.4 billion shillings have been made available to buy food and to make sure that food is delivered where it is most needed. Adequate interventions have been put in place to tackle the emerging crisis,” Ruto said.

“Adequate resources will be required and that is why this team is working on numbers so that we can mobilise the resources necessary to make sure we attend to the roads that have been washed away and to provide alternative roads and pathways to different parts of the country, to ensure that we deliver medicine to different parts of the country and to make sure that no part of Kenya is left in the dark by making sure that we deliver fuel,” the president added.