Azimio Demands Increase In Ksh10K Compensation For Flood Victims By 10 Times

Azimio la Umoja on Wednesday, May 8 demanded that President William Ruto increase the compensation amount promised to Kenyans who were evacuated for their safety due to the ongoing floods in the country.

While addressing the media, Wiper Party Leader, Kalonzo Musyoka argued that the Ksh10,000 amount the Head of State promised to victims affected by the floods was not enough for them to facilitate a proper fresh start.

Instead, the Raila Odinga-led coalition called for an allocation of Ksh100,000 to every family as well as the launch of an emergency aid appeal, with immediate effect.

"We note that President Ruto recently announced in Mathare that the households affected by the floods will each receive Ksh10,000, with Ksh1 billion already set aside, again this is a case of too little too late. For the families who have lost everything, such allocations are too little to start afresh," Kalonzo demanded.

"We demand that the government increase the financial support to at least Ksh100,000 per family and immediately launch an emergency aid appeal for all the flood victims in Kenya."

The coalition also demanded that the government immediately deploy all the necessary responses for mitigating the impact of the flooding on affected communities including the provision of assistance to the bereaved families and the internally displaced.

Azimio also called for the government to exercise care and caution in terms of forceful evictions which have already led to the deaths of three people, one of them in Mathare North.

"We note that the regime is forcefully evicting people from the areas perceived to be flood-prone and riparian land. Any such evacuations, whether mandatory or voluntary must be done in a humane manner that respects human rights without causing further deaths.

"The recklessness and reactionary strategy of the Kenya Kwanza regime has caused the death of a young boy by the name of Ian Otieno. Ian was killed yesterday when the government bulldozers forcefully evicted those living in Mathare. On Saturday, two Kenyans also lost their lives in similar circumstances in Mukuru slums. These actions of a disastrous regime must stop," Kalonzo added.

The government was also demanded to adopt protective measures of early warnings and facilitation of relocation of communities in imminent risk of being affected by the floods and adhere to effective disaster management strategies.

In terms of the ongoing doctors' strike, Azimio faulted the sluggishness of the government in dealing with the two-month-old healthcare crisis in the country without considering the reality of the situation.

The coalition urged the government to reach an agreement with the striking doctors within 48 hours, failure to which, the strike will manifest to the return of nationwide protests.

"We note that the Labour and Relations court has ordered the striking doctors and the government to reach an agreement within 48 hours. While we have seen the efforts by the doctors to end the strike, we are yet to see the commitment from the government side to do the same.

"We, ask the Kenya Kwanza regime to take advantage of the 48-hour window given by the courts and immediately reach an agreement with doctors that will see a resumption of normalcy in public hospitals, failure to which, we shall mobilize the public and other unions to join in a national," Kalonzo threatened.

Doctors on strike outside Parliament Buildings and Bunge Tower on April 30, 2024. /MARVIN CHEGE.VIRAL TEA KE