Kitui County Deputy Governor H.E. Wambua Kanani has officially opened a two-day training aimed at strengthening ministerial preparedness, coordination, and response to disasters within the county government.
The training, facilitated by officers from the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), seeks to enhance the capacity of Kitui County Government officials by equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to safeguard lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, and development gains during emergencies.
Speaking during the opening session, the Deputy Governor emphasized the importance of proactive disaster preparedness, noting that Kitui County continues to face recurrent and evolving disaster risks. These include droughts and prolonged dry spells, flooding in low-lying and riparian areas, fire incidents in public institutions and markets, road traffic accidents, and emerging public health threats.
He underscored the need for a whole-of-government approach to disaster management, calling for strong leadership, effective coordination, and preparedness across all ministries to ensure that essential services remain operational even during crises.
The training will focus on several key areas, including disaster risk assessment, establishment and management of Emergency Operations Centres, disaster data mapping and risk profiling, flood mitigation and firefighting, urban search and rescue (USAR), as well as business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
At the end of the two-day session, participants are expected to have strengthened their understanding of disaster preparedness and response mechanisms to enhance resilience across the county.
Among those present were the Chief Officer in charge of Disaster Management and Preparedness, Ms. Francisca Kyui, officers from the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), and other county officials.
