National Policy for Disaster Management in Kenya.

This Policy sets out the goal and objectives of the Disaster Management system in Kenya, arrangements for effective management, roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders at different levels. This policy proposes the establishment of an autonomous management system and provides an implementation framework and guiding principles for Disaster Management. The overall Goal of Disaster Management is to build a safe, resilient and sustainable society. The Policy Objectives aim at the following activities: establish a policy/legal and institutional framework for management of disasters, including promotion of a culture of disaster awareness and for building the capacity for disaster risk reduction, at all levels; ensure that institutions and activities for disaster risk management are coordinated, focused to foster participatory partnerships between the Government and other stakeholders, at all levels, including international, regional, sub-regional Eastern African, national and sub-national bodies; promote linkages between disaster risk management and sustainable development for reduction of vulnerability to hazards and disasters; mobilize resources for disaster risk reduction strategies and programmes in Disaster Management (DM); make institutional provisions to ensure productive networking and sharing of information; and make institutional provisions to ensure appropriate and structured DM, Education training and Capacity Building; mainstream DM education and functional awareness for disaster management. These objectives shall be achieved through effective institutional structures via the National Platform, assisted by the National Resource Centre and the NADIMA Directorate of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Planning (pags. 25 and 26)
This policy seeks to entrench the work of the KFSM and of the Arid Lands Resource Management Project (under the Ministry of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands), into Government structures. This means that the KFSM and the ALRMP will continue to play their roles in “food security related” emergency activities (pag. 43).
One of the broad objectives of the existing Disaster Management system can be summarized aims at promoting the urgent need for sustainable mainstreaming of Disaster Management and Climate Change into Development Planning and Management, to promote poverty alleviation, on the way to sustainable development (pag. 17). Mitigation refers to a substantial reduction of the impacts of a disaster in case it goes beyond preventive measures. For example, poverty reduction initiatives and diversification of livelihoods improve the capacity of households and communities to withstand negative impacts of disasters (pag. 27).
An increasing number of cross-cutting issues are gaining escalating importance in changing the complex disaster picture in Kenya.The issues include: climate Change, poverty, the multi-faceted inter-ethnic and political conflicts, HIV/AIDS pandemic, the rapid overall environmental change, excessive rapid population growth and urbanization dynamics, the complex gender issues, the challenged and the elderly, trade imbalances and resource depletion. (pag. 56).