A four-day special training on disaster incident control  began on Monday in Musanze District. It aims at addressing lack of accountability,poor communication and undefined methods in handling disaster issues in the country.

The training, which was organized by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, in collaboration with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHRC), is facilitated by officials from Kenya National Disaster Operations Centre.

Participants were drawn from disaster management steering committee and local authorities from various districts.

Opening the workshop, the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Jean Damascene Kayitana,noted that intervention efforts in case of disasters have always been hampered by organizational weaknesses.

"Disasters of all types are one of the fundamental issues which disturb sustainable development of every nation. We should, therefore, develop such capacities for effective disaster management capabilities,’’appealed.

He  revealed  that  his ministry plans to establish a national  disaster management centre which shall coordinate, among other things, the humanitarian activities in case of any emergency.

In his presentation, Col. Vincent Anami, Director of Kenya’s National Disaster Operations Centre, observed that for disaster incident control mechanism to be effective, it needs personnel, policies, facilities, and equipment, integrated into a common organizational structure.

"The type and magnitude of a disaster will determine the kind of response required. The coordination of efforts has to be done from one focal point,’’ Col. Anami advised.

Ends