A Kenyan flood victim. (AP/Sayyid Azim) (AP/Sayyid Azim)
Kenya flood

The first to respond to Kenya’s distress calls, Israel provided emergency aid to flood victims in the African country.

The Israeli government has donated food and water to Kenya to aid flood victims in Migori county, the Kenyan Star reported on Monday.

The gesture was made “in a show of friendship with Kenya following a request by the governor,” the report said.

The items were distributed to the victims on Monday.

Speaking at Governor Okoth Obado’s office in Migori town, Israeli Ambassador Yoel Vilan said the aim was to celebrate the holidays with the victims.

Obado said the county received 100 bags of maize, 44 bags of beans, three bulls, 400 blankets, 192 gumboots, six water tanks, 200 mosquito nets and several cartons of cooking oil.

“The move will go a long way in mitigating effects of El Nino rains,” he said, adding the Israeli government also donated a solar water heater for a school in the county.

Obado stressed that Israel was the first country to respond to his pleas.

Israel has a long history of leading humanitarian, medical and logistical assistance to countries in distress around the world and regularly extends global aid to disaster areas, including to tornado victims in Oklahoma, typhoon refugees in the Philippines, earthquake casualties in Haiti and Nepal and flood victims in Myanmar.