Red Cross to build Sh30m homes for West Pokot landslide victims
By People Daily, January 10, 2020
Victims of recent West Pokot landslide, whose homes were destroyed or rendered inhabitable, will now benefit from a Sh30 million reconstruction and recovery programme spearheaded by the Kenya Red Cross Society.
The society’s West Pokot county coordinator Scolasticah Kapelo said 228 families will be assisted to put up new houses.
Speaking to KNA in her office in Kapenguria, yesterday, the coordinator assured the recovery process is on course and that the Red Cross alongside other humanitarian agencies are in the third cycle of the disaster management programme.
“Disaster management is one of our programmes as Red Cross and it has four stages in its complete cycle—Preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation process,” she said.
Kapelo said the work will start in a month’s time.
“We have gone to the ground and with the help of the village elders and the County government, done thorough assessment to ensure no one is left out and no one cheats their way into benefiting from the woes of the genuine victims,” she added.
She said the Red Cross is working closely with the county multi-agency committee to ensure the affected are resettled as soon as possible.
Total destruction
Kapelo, however, clarified that shelter and reconstruction will be only for those whose houses were left totally destroyed.
The County Coordinator thanked every department that helped respond to the disaster and even the friends and relatives who provided homes to affected families.
“As Red Cross we thank every organisation or individual well-wishers who responded to the disaster. There was a positive response and people affected received support,” said Kapelo.
It is over a month since West Pokot experienced a deadly landslide that claimed over 58 lives, leaving more than 2,000 other families homeless.
On December 24, when he delivered a donation of Sh10 million from the Chinese government to the victims, Devolution Cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa also promised the government will start erecting houses for those affected this month. -KNA