Garissa floods and drought: Kenya Red Cross ramps up volunteer recruitment to boost disaster response
Based on past experience, he said the organisation had decided to recruit volunteers at the sub-county level to ensure efficiency and quick intervention during humanitarian crises.
The Kenya Red Cross has embarked on a massive recruitment of volunteers at the grassroots level in Garissa County in a move to enhance effective disaster response.
Speaking during an Iftar session on Thursday evening, organised by the Kenya Red Cross and ICRC at a hotel in Garissa, Hassan Musa, the Northeastern Regional Coordinator, said the limited number of volunteers based in Garissa town had been a major impediment to emergency disaster response in the region.
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"In areas prone to floods, we need volunteers on the ground who can swiftly rescue lives, especially as we anticipate floods due to heavy rains in other parts of the country," he noted.
Based on past experience, he said the organisation had decided to recruit volunteers at the sub-county level to ensure efficiency and quick intervention during humanitarian crises.
He added that the volunteers would be equipped with various skills, including first aid, flood response, disaster preparedness and response, and the dissemination of public information.
He further stated that the recruitment drive would help in obtaining timely assessment reports during disasters and food distribution exercises.
Mohamed Mohamud, an Assistant County Commissioner representing the Garissa Town Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner, Sebastian Okiring, urged the Kenya Red Cross to train chiefs at the grassroots level on disaster response.
"The efforts to train volunteers are crucial for effective disaster response. We request that similar training be extended to chiefs, who can work hand in hand with volunteers at the grassroots level," he said.
He encouraged young people to actively participate in the recruitment, stating that the skills and experience gained could help them secure potential job opportunities with humanitarian organisations in the future.
Garissa Branch Coordinator, Daud Ahmed, also announced the distribution of relief food to 640 households in Lagdera and Balambala sub-counties in response to those affected by drought.
He noted that the October-December short rains had failed and that both the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and the Meteorological Department had forecast below-average rainfall during the expected March-May long rains.
Stakeholders during the Iftar session organised by Kenya Red Cross and ICRC in Garissa town. (Issa Hussein)
He said the region was experiencing a prolonged dry spell, necessitating an urgent response to save lives from the devastating effects of drought.
Abdirahman Maalim Abdullahi, an ICRC representative, announced that the organisation was set to implement humanitarian support along the Kenya-Somalia border to assist areas that many humanitarian organisations had avoided due to insecurity.
Ebla Hassan, the Secretary General of the Garissa Farmers’ Network, lauded the efforts of Kenya Red Cross volunteers.
She recounted how branch volunteers responded to farmers who were marooned during the March-May 2024 floods in Garissa.
"I recall a distressing moment when a mother and her three children were trapped on their farm in Garissa, forcing them to climb a tree for safety. When I heard about the incident, I called the Garissa branch for intervention, and they immediately dispatched a team of volunteers with a motorboat to rescue the family," she said.
Hassan Sheikh Abdi, a Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) official speaking on behalf of religious leaders, appreciated the efforts of the Kenya Red Cross and the ICRC in responding to humanitarian emergencies.
He praised the volunteers, recalling their heroic response during the Garissa floods and the April 2015 Garissa University terror attack, in which 147 students were killed and scores injured.
Holugho Ward MCA Adow Omar challenged the Garissa County government to emulate the Kenya Red Cross, which he said had been visible and responsive to thousands in need of humanitarian assistance despite operating on a small budget.
"We receive billions of shillings as a county government, yet there is nothing tangible to offer our people who are suffering during disasters," he claimed.
He called for the organisation to train county government officials on the prudent utilisation of public resources.
Other officials who spoke during the event, appreciating the organisation’s response to disasters, included Chief Officer for Irrigation Aden Harun, North Eastern Kenya Red Cross Regional Manager Abdinoor Hussein, Garissa Township Sub-County Administrator Shaiya Hudle, and Garissa Branch Board Chairman Jilo Dabaso.
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