The Significance of Civil Defense in Disaster Management in Eastern Africa- the Case of Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Disasters whether man-made or natural often have devastating impacts that threaten human life and infrastructure. Countries world over have endeavored to institute disaster management mechanisms focused on lessening the caustic effect of disaster incidents. The cutting-edge that makes the difference in the consequences of disaster in any Country is on how effective its disaster management systems perform. Civil defence is population-centric in nature and brings the citizens into perspective in managing disasters, and its significance in promoting urban resilience has not been fully interrogated by the academia, especially in the African Continent and Eastern Africa in particular. This study therefore, seeks to explore the significance of civil defence focusing on Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was premised on investigating the trend in response to major disaster incidences in Kenya, and examine the role of civil defense in disaster management while establishing key challenges faced by civil defense systems in Nairobi County, Kenya in managing disasters. A pragmatic research design was applied to assess the frequency of disaster occurrences using quantitative analysis, and the responders’ efficiency to such incidences through qualitative research by getting opinion from different entities on how effective various agencies perform in response to disasters. The study established that most disasters are human generated hence avoidable; lack of immediate action response by those responsible and entrusted to ensure public safety during disasters lead to even more human suffering and further threaten sustainable livelihoods and coping strategies in the aftermath. Civil defence guarantees public awareness, preparedness and citizen participation in assuaging disaster reverberations across the management cycle. Authorized responding agencies often lack synergy and synchronized multi-agency perspective that undermines seamless disaster response efforts. It is imperative therefore, to accentuate that coordinated civil defence disaster management systems and functional policy framework are indispensable to assure public safety and guard against eminent and potential disasters. Overall, putting the communitarian and public administration theories in context, the inherent ideals include protection of life, property and liberties enjoyed by citizens of a country in the event of a disaster; and advocates for collaborative means in which both an authentic community and the government have a responsibility in disaster management before, during or post crisis.