Disaster Management preparedness

Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.

Once again as a country our disaster management preparedness was put into test after the skylax plane went missing and 20 hours later no search missions had started. 

The country has been hit by disasters in the past and has had problems in managing the situation. As a result The National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) was established through a presidential directive in 2013 and sits within the Ministry of Interior.

 NDMU is seen as the government unit responsible for disaster risk management in the country, but also carries out some response activities. Led by the National Police Service, its operations cut across both natural and man-made disasters. NDMU has established the country's emergency response plan though very few people outside government are aware of its existence. 

The NDMU is not the only disaster management Unit that we have as a country, we also have National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), and The Kenya Red Cross.  The main issue is the coordination between these units to make sure that our response to the disaster is timely and we can avert any further distractions.

The National and Sub-National governments share the Disaster management function. In case of a disaster in the country the first respondents should be the counties.  The country does not have a law that guides its disaster preparedness/management operations. At the moment we have a bill that has been sponsored by Senators Mutula Kilonzo Junior and Johnson Sakaja

Enactment of this bill will set out the legal frame work that will govern disaster management preparedness. It will give clear guidelines on the delegated powers and authority and the allocation of finances. 

Disasters are prone to happen but others can be averted hence we need to strengthen the preparedness and abilities of communities so that they are well suited to respond  in case a disaster occurs.