‘Met Department downgraded El Nino forecast, from which President Ruto spoke’ – Hussein Mohamed
State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed now says President William Ruto spoke about reduced rainfall after the Meteorological Department allegedly downgraded their El Nino forecast.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mohamed defended the President, saying he aligned himself with information from the department.
"The warning from the Met Department was taken seriously and that is why he (President Ruto) was the first person to pronounce himself on the matter. They classified this as an El Nino phenomenon. The same Met downgraded, so the President was speaking from information from Met. The prediction for weather patterns is not a precise science and several places in the world have got it wrong. The most important thing is to deal with the situation at hand," Mohamed said.
According to Mohamed, the government will not, for now, declare the flood situation as a national disaster but has classified it as alarming.
"The decision to declare something a national disaster is based on data on the ground. The data that has been assessed so far has put this at an alarming stage. There is a National Disaster Operation Centre that is up and running based at Nyayo House under the Ministry of Interior. They are assessing by the minute data from the ground and whether there is a need to escalate this beyond where it is now. If things get worse the government will decide whether there is a need to escalate this," he added.
So far, several people have lost their lives due to floods, and thousands of families displaced in lowland areas.
Mohamed highlights rains benefits
The State House Spokesperson however said the rains have been beneficial in most parts of the country, especially in milk producing counties which have recorded improved production.
He revealed that the New Kenya Cooperative Creameries has been given Ksh500 million to buy excess milk from farmers.
Mohamed has also called on Kenyans to exercise caution while travelling and wait for storm waters to subside before crossing flooded rivers.
"All Kenyans should exercise patience and caution while travelling, wait for storm waters to subside before attempting to cross roads, report any instances of flooding or landslides to the authorities and strictly follow all guidelines issued by the government," he added.
