Governor Jonathan Bii’s administration, through the Department of Roads, Transport and Public Works, has pledged to support the County Government of Elgeyo Marakwet in the ongoing process of setting up the first-ever fire and disaster management department in Iten town.
Uasin Gishu Chief Officer Engineer Abraham Kiptalam, while speaking on behalf of the County Executive Committee Member for the department during a benchmarking mission of a team from Elgeyo Marakwet County at the Eldoret Main Fire station, confirmed that they will give support on issues of safety, compliance, and staff training.
“We are looking forward to working with Elgeyo Marakwet County and ensuring we bring them up to speed on the mandate of the fire department in general. This step will offset a lot of rescue missions that we have been doing across the North Rift and parts of Western Kenya regions,” Eng. Kiptalam said.
“Today, we have taken them through human resources, organograms, and all the basics of response to rescue operations. We are privileged to induct our brother county into the department of fire,” he added.
The Chief Officer further said the County Government of Uasin Gishu is currently working on a Bill on fire and compliance, which is still at the county assembly and is expected to have all the basic instruments that will be used to run the campaign of safety and compliance in matters of fire and generally disaster management.
Responding to emergency needs
Elgeyo Marakwet County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development Thomas Maiyo said Uasin Gishu has been responding to their emergency needs and being neighbours, this is the closest place for them to benchmark as they continue with the process of establishing a disaster management and rescue operations department.
“We have not set up a directorate in charge of disaster and fire for the last ten years of devolution. Through the effort of our Governor, we recently secured three fire engines from the UK, and we are therefore in the process of setting up a full-fledged fire department,” CECM Maiyo noted.
In addition, the CECM and his team said the collaboration will be continuous and urged their Uasin Gishu counterpart to come in handy when the time comes for setting up the department and having it running by assisting with skills on the systems and operation of the facilities.
Among those present were Elgeyo Marakwet County Chief Officer for Lands Emmanuel Birir, Iten Municipality Manager Raymond Omonei and his deputy Josphat Kerich, Uasin Gishu Roads Department Director of Administration and Planning Wainaina Kimingi, and Chief Fire Officer Sitati Wanyama.
