Asal governors and partners discuss way forward for resilience building

UNICEF Kenya representative Shaheen Nilofer and CS Rebecca Miano with ASAL leaders during the roundtable engagement in Garissa on September 14, 2023. [Samson Wire, Standard]

CS Miano lamented the high cost of rapid drought response efforts and called for quick efforts to establish long-term solutions to the ever-changing and extreme climate change effects in ASAL regions. She, however, expressed the national government's willingness to support affected county governments to build resilience.

"We need a paradigm shift and come up with impactful projects and resilience programs such as the building of dams and irrigation projects," said Miano.

"Helping people survive climate change effects requires a long-term commitment from governments, the private sector, donors, institutions and NGOs," said Shaheen Nilofer, the UNICEF Kenya representative.

"We have repaired more than 500 boreholes and are building aquifers, but there's a need for more resources to have at least 70 per cent of ASAL dry regions have access to water. This can easily be achieved with integrated resources, systems and partnerships."

Currently, water access within the seven ASALs is at 59 per cent.

The delegates also visited three project sites: an NGO, WomenKind, in Garissa town to assess child protection initiatives.

At Iftin Sub-county Hospital, they oversaw the delivery of health, nutrition/WASH-Primary healthcare programmes at the health facility level. At Garissa Primary School, they witnessed the enrollment drive for the Out-of-School Program and the mainstreaming and integration of learners with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities.