Uasin Gishu County Deputy Governor Eng John Barorot has ordered the assessment of schools that were affected by the recent floods in the County through the newly formed Sub-County disaster management committees and a clear report of the current situation to be submitted as soon as possible to inform the action plan by the main committee.
This follows a report by County Executive for Education Antony Sitienei raising concerns that indicate schools are still experiencing challenges of pit latrines filled with water, sinking toilets, damaged roofs and cracks on classroom walls and doors and flooded classrooms and playgrounds.
The Deputy Governor stated: “I would like the teams to do an assessment of the affected schools immediately and report in our meeting tomorrow for us to come up with an action plan to address the situation.”
County Director of Health Services Dr Evans Kiprotich said the department had formed teams to monitor possible risks of outbreaks of water-borne diseases like typhoid diarrhoea and also malaria. He added that the team will be forced to close some schools with signs of imminent collapse of latrines if solutions aren’t found within seven days.
The Uasin Gishu County disaster management committee which held a on Thursday at the county headquarters also assessed the level of interventions carried out on the previously identified dams, drainages, and footbridges that posed a risk to life and property as a result of the floods.
Risky dams in Uasin Gishu
The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Governor Eng John Barorot and the county commissioner Dr Eddyson Nyale further concluded that the interventions on the identified risky dams were effectively implemented, eliminating the risks that were previously anticipated.
County Executive for Roads Eng Joseph Lagat in his report affirmed that the department has made remarkable progress in terms of drainage of flood water, in residential, adjacent roads and swamp areas, spillways and unclogging of drainage in informal settlements and other affected wards.
Uasin Gishu County commissioner Dr Eddyson Nyale called for collaboration between stakeholders to facilitate real-time interventions and sensitisation of the public on the threats and other precautionary measures.
National Government County Director of Education John Gitonga said they have written to some schools that were affected allowing school heads to use any available emergency funds to address the situation as they await further interventions from the government.
Red Cross County Coordinator Alice Njari noted that they are willing to offer temporary latrine slabs to serve alternative latrines in some of the schools.
