Old Mutual Group, in collaboration with its subsidiary, Faulu Bank, has today handed over a donation to support victims of the recent floods in Kisumu County. More than 14,000 people have been displaced since the start of the heavy rains in March leading to the destruction of over 1,700 acres of farmland.
To aid the recovery efforts, Old Mutual donated food items and other essentials which will be distributed to the affected families under the Kisumu County Flood Relief Programme.
Through the Old Mutual Foundation humanitarian fund, the organization has also jointly sponsored an outreach program at Kadibo Sub County with Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu to further aid recovery efforts.
“Residents in parts of Nyando, Muhoroni, Kisumu East and Kisumu West were most affected by the recent heavy rains, with some still in placement camps at Kadhiambo and Kawino areas,” said Judith Oluoch, Kisumu County CEC Public Service, County administration & participatory development.
“The recent heavy rains have disrupted many people’s lives and livelihoods, and as a responsible corporate citizen, we at Old Mutual found it necessary to extend a helping hand. We are glad to make our small donation through the Kisumu County Government, which is coordinating all relief efforts in the region, and we are looking forward to seeing the beneficiaries gain back their lives,” said Old Mutual East Africa CEO, Arthur Oginga.
Kisumu County Governor, Prof. Anyang’ Nyongo, expressed gratitude to Old Mutual for their timely contribution.
He said: “We are really thankful to Old Mutual for heeding our call for support. Indeed, as a county, this is the greatest devastation we have seen in a long time, but we are working together with partners to ensure that the affected families resume normalcy as soon as possible.”
The Kisumu County Governor further called for collaboration with village administrators to help identify persons affected by the recent heavy rains so the county is better able to allocate and disburse funds and donations towards rehoming affected residents and helping them rebuild their lives and sources of income. He underscored the importance of partnering with relief organizations such as Red Cross and USAID to mobilize and manage resources geared towards pre-emptive disaster preparedness.
Mr.Oginga touched on Old Mutual’s current focus on investing in green economies as part of the strategy to combat effects of climate change, disclosing that the organization currently has 9 Billion US Dollars invested in greening economies.
As part of Old Mutual’s commitment to building capacity within communities they serve, the organization has successfully partnered with Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to integrate financial literacy training in the Competency Based Curriculum.
Within Kisumu County, Old Mutual conducts financial literacy training at Maseno University annually and is open to hosting financial education forums for county employees, local businesses, employees, and the community.
In line with one of Old Mutual’s core pillars of being customers’ first choice for growing, sustaining and protecting their prosperity, the organization has so far trained 55,000 university students in financial literacy across the country over the last two and a half years.
The Kisumu donation comes three weeks after Old Mutual made a similar contribution to support flood-affected families in Nyeri County.
Mr. Oginga was in Kisumu as part of his tour of the Nyanza region, during which he engaged with Old Mutual’s clients in Kisii and Kisumu for their views on Old Mutual’s products and insights on how to take them to the next level.
