Advertise

Advertise

Raila, Ruto donate Sh800,000 to Machakos fire victims

 

Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his Kenya Kwanza counterpart Deputy President William Ruto have donated a total Sh800,000 to the Machakos fire victims.

Raila sent a donation of Sh500,000 while Ruto contributed Sh300,000 towards the same cause.

Machakos county assembly speaker Florence Mwangangi said Raila had sent her with the donation to present to the victims through Masaku Juakali Association leadership.

Mwangangi is Nzioka Waita's running mate in the Machakos governor race. Waita is a former State House chief of staff. They are contesting on a CCU ticket where Waita is the party leader.

She said Waita and herself will contribute Sh700,000 towards the same cause.

Mwangangi spoke when she visited the traders at Grogon market in Machakos town on Tuesday. The inferno that lasted for more than eight hours razed several business structures, affecting more 500 traders.

UDA national chairman Johnson Muthama and Machakos Town MP Victor Munyaka visited the traders.

Muthama donated Sh520,000, his personal contribution and said Ruto had promised Sh300,000 to the traders while Munyaka gave Sh100,000.

The UDA chairman gave the traders Sh20,000 for opening a special bank account to raise funds for the victims. He volunteered to be the funds drive’s chairman.

He told the traders through the association’s chairman Mumo Kilonzo to hasten the bank account’s opening process so that they could channel the funds to the account.

The leaders blamed the inferno on what they termed laxity on the side of Machakos county government.

They said Governor Alfred Mutua’s administration had no capacity to respond to emergency services like fire.

However, Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Maliti, in a quick rejoinder, disputed the claims, saying their administration was up to the task with the capacity to handle all sorts of emergencies, including fire outbreaks across the country.

Maliti said the county had dispatched counsellors to the scene and set a counselling desk to take data and offer post –trauma counselling to victims.

“It’s a sad scenario because lots of properties were damaged. We identified many burnt expensive machines. One fire engine belonging to Machakos county government was not able to contain the fire,” Mwangangi said.

“The county assembly has always done its obligation to ensure that necessary legislations, policies and budgets are passed so that if calamities of this nature happen, they don’t escalate.” 

She added that as an assembly, they had problems with implementation of the laws, budgets and policies passed, particularly by the governor’s office.

“In 2021 we passed the law that was supposed to set an emergency fund. The assembly had been agitating for that law for a while," she said.

"We summoned Maliti who was in charge of the county’s Finance docket, and it was a push and pull until we managed to pass the law. Maliti and Mutua should tell us what was put in the fund.” 

She said the damage could have not been as great as it were if the fund was being utilised efficiently.

“We got a contribution from one of prominent businessmen in this town, a Mr Theuri of Pasha Enterprises, who donated Sh50,000 while former Machakos Woman Representative Susan Musyoka contributed Sh10,000,” Mwangangi said.

“We are still persuading other friends, government institutions and other partners. We must ensure they get back on their feet because they are beaten but not defeated.”    BY THE STAR 

No comments

Translate