Ruto renames drought response committee, extends mandate to all natural disasters

President William Ruto has renamed the National Steering Committee on Drought Response and increased its responsibilities, at a time when the country is reeling from the nearly 300 deaths and mass destruction caused by heavy rains.

Established in 2022, the team will now be referred to as the National Steering Committee on Disaster Response and will handle all natural disasters, not just droughts.

The President also renamed the private sector-led National Drought Mitigation Appeal Fund the National Disaster Response Appeal Fund and said it would be managed by the Kenya Red Cross Society.

Ruto made the announcements in a special gazette notice dated May 17, 2024, seen by The Eastleigh Voice, saying the committee would report to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, through the National Disaster Response Technical Committee, and be chaired by Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa.

"The National Steering Committee on Disaster Response shall, in addition to mobilising resources to augment national emergency response actions, also coordinate national response in situations of natural calamities," the notice says, adding it would liaise with the National Disaster Operations Centre.

It will help enhance the government's national emergency response actions in alleviating the impact of floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes, and all other natural calamities that result in loss of life and property damage.

It will also support interventions and relief activities to cushion populations from the effects of these natural calamities, including through cash transfer programmes.

Further, in partnership with the national and county governments, the committee will strengthen the national capacity for resilient recovery and support measures to protect development gains from recurring national disasters.

"The committee will also support the development of a framework to calibrate the role of the private sector in climate change mitigation and adaptation, to be anchored in national policy and legislation," reads the notice.

This includes actions such as the regeneration and reclamation of riparian zones and the restoration of degraded biodiversity sites.

The majority of the committee members are CEOs from the public and private sectors.

Among them are James Mwangi (Equity Bank), Shamaz Savani (African Banking Corporation Bank), Paul Rushdie Russo (Kenya Commercial Bank), Jane Karuku (East African Breweries), Joshua Chepkwony (Jamii Telecommunications), Crispin Acholla (British American Tobacco), Edwins Mukabanah (Kenya Bus Service), Patricia Mugambi Ndegwa (Impact Philanthropy Africa), and Krishma Jitesh Chavda (Isha Foundation).

Others are Hared Hassan (National Drought Management Authority), Pankaj Shah (Team Pankaj), Gloria Ndekei (Kenya Private Sector Alliance Foundation), Anthony G. Mwangi (Kenya Association of Manufacturers), Gideon Muriuki (Co-operative Bank of Kenya), Dhanji Laxmanbhai Bhimji (Laxcon Group), Martin R. Ochieng (Sasini), Toseef Din (MP Shah Hospital), Nancy Njau (Family Bank), and Rita Kavashe (Isuzu Motors East Africa Limited).

Also on the team are Linus Kaikai (chairman, Kenya Editors Guild), Agnes Kalekye (chair of the Media Owners Association and CEO of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation), Susan Chomba (director of vital landscapes, World Resources Institute), Ahmed Idris (Kenya Red Cross Society secretary-general) and Stephen Jackson (chair, Development Partnership Forum).