El Nino: US Pledges KSh 153m For Kenyan Flood Support Humanitarian Responses

• The US funding will be used to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices
• US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, said the President Joe Biden-led administration is committed to supporting Kenya
• Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, who accompanied the US ambassador, said seven more people have died in the last day

Dennis Lubanga, a Kenyan journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than 10 years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Nairobi - The United States has pledged KSh 153 million in humanitarian assistance to support Kenya's flood response efforts.

The funding will be used to provide emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices amid the ongoing floods.

While speaking on a tour of the Kenya Red Cross warehouses in Nairobi, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman said the President Joe Biden-led administration is committed to supporting Kenya at a time when the country is facing the effects of one of the worst floods in decades.

"I am pleased to announce KSh 150 million in new funding from the United States to support Kenya's flood response efforts. Together, we are working with county governments and other donors like the UN and NGOs to meet the humanitarian needs of Kenyan people most affected by these floods. We want to do what we can to relieve that suffering," Whitman said.

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, who accompanied the US ambassador, said seven more people have died in the last day, raising the death toll from the floods to 174.

"You can see that the consignment that is here is worth millions of Kenyan shillings and more to support this El Nino emergency response, and there is no better way to touch the lives of Kenyans," said Mwaura.

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that Tana River governor Dhadho Godhana pleaded with the national government and other non-governmental organisations to help them mitigate the effects of El Nino rains.

Addressing the press on Monday, December 18, Godhana decried the prolonged humanitarian crisis in the coastal county because of heavy floods.

Godhana said that despite the county receiving support from the national government and other organisations, the current situation calls for more interventions.

"The humanitarian situation is far beyond what the county can manage. We appreciate the support we have received from the national government, the World Food Programme, and other organisations, but the situation is now more complex," Godhana said.

He called on the government and other non-governmental organisations to help them control the situation as the heavy downpours continued to wreak havoc.