Nairobi(Mogadishu24)-The President of Kenya, William Samoi Ruto, convened an emergency session for cabinet ministers on Monday to assess the impact of the El Niño rains in the country.

In an official statement, the government announced that it had allocated 7 billion shillings ($46 million) for humanitarian response as floods displaced more than 35,000 families mainly in Northern parts of the country.

The torrential rains and riverine flooding also caused the death of 76 people across the country.

“The cabinet noted with regret that we have lost seventy-six (76) Kenyans to El Niño, while 35,000 households have been displaced. The most severely affected areas are in North-eastern, Eastern, and Coastal regions,” reads the statement.

“The cabinet noted that the State had allocated Ksh 7 billion with which it is implementing various programs to address the plight of Kenyans across the country.”

The Cabinet stated that the funds will be applied for humanitarian responses, including the distribution and supply of medical items, food and non-food items, rehabilitation of infrastructure, and resettlement of displaced families.

North-eastern counties of Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa have run out of essential services like food and medical commodities, as well as fuel shortage which has resulted in extreme power outages in Wajir and Mandera.

The National government has announced that it’s implementing the restoration of roads between these counties, which are set to be re-opened within this week.

The cabinet ministers also stated that the government is scaling up the scope of humanitarian assistance to reach more than 50,000 households in the Arid and Semi-arid regions (ASAL), as well as releasing an additional Ksh 10 billion to the counties within this week.

The government emphasized the need for a joint effort between the National and County Governments, the Kenya Defense Forces, and the National Youth Service through the Kenya Red Cross Society.

The government established an ad hoc cabinet Committee on Disaster Response which will be chaired by the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua.

The ministers agreed to implement whole Government Approach and coordination of all efforts to the National Disaster Operations Centre which will ensure efficient and effective deployment of relief activities, resources, and enhance communication with government agencies, organisations and the media for accurate information.

Last week, the Kenya Defense Forces airlifted medical supplies worth Ksh 180 million to Wajir.

The County government in collaboration with the Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Red Cross and Blue Bird Aviation, has provided food and non-food items to thousands of families across the County.