Voi Philanthropist Helping Flood Victims Faces Threats, Harassment From Local Politicians

• Mustafa Jamal's initiative to help the victims of the raging floods in Voi is giving local politicians sleepless nights
• The businessman designed a facility to host about 48 households for which he provides food and bedding
• He says the elected leaders have been running after him to sabotage his works, which have caught the attention of the humanitarian agencies

Taita Taveta - The charitable deeds of a well-wisher bailing Voi flood victims out of their predicament have not amused the local politicians.

Businessman Mustafa Jama took it upon himself to help the households affected by the raging waters out of the prevalent heavy rains in that part of the country.

The 35-year-old designed a facility to help host the families for which he also provides such essentials as food and bedding among others.

At least 48 families are at the facility.

While the noble undertaking by Jamala attracted the attention of the humanitarian agencies and the government, the local politicians are not happy.

He revealed that he had been receiving threats from local members of the political class who wanted him to desist from his charitable cause.

In the meantime, the Taita Taveta County Commissioner Josephine Onunga, Taita Taveta County Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo and other security teams have been touring the affected areas to assess the situation as they are.

They admitted that the areas were severely affected and assured residents that they would be given special attention for support in the form of relief food.

"In Taita Taveta we started seeing the effects of this rain almost three weeks ago. We have a tremendous effect of el-nino rains. We have visited the recently affected areas in Voi Sub-county including Tanzania, kaloleni and Msambweni and the situation is not good. Some people have lost their houses as they were washed away by floods," Onunga is quoted as having said.

The county chief administrator added that although no deaths were reported from the recent floods, about half of the affected people still lacked houses.

Onunga called on the Taita Taveta residents to avoid settling on riparian lands and instead set bases in safer areas.

On her part, the deputy governor, while empathising with the families, commended the county emergency response team for their swift move in ensuring the safety of the residents.

She noted that as a county, in conjunction with the Kenya Red Cross, they had provided the displaced families with food and bedding and that more support would come until the households settled.

Kilalo urged the affected families to ensure that children were safe and that in case of any health issues, they immediately seek treatment from the County health facilities.

“It's our responsibility as county government leaders to ensure there are no citizens who will die as a result of hunger or any curable disease in our County. We will provide you with food and other basics. I know we have girls here who need sanitary towels. They are on our list and we will do what we can to ensure they stay safe," said the deputy governor.

Kilalo further urged the residents to clean and open waterways close to their houses to pave to drain rainwater in a bid to avoid floods in areas where floods can be controlled.

About 750 bags of rice and 540 bags of beans were distributed as relief food to the affected families in Taita Taveta County.