Team Tours Hardship Zones to Strengthen Cross-Border Emergency Preparedness

By The COAST Reporter

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

As part of the wider celebrations marking the success of refugee–host integration and the homecoming of global peacebuilder Shee Kupi Shee, the Lamu County Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) undertook a strategic field tour across hardship and hard‑to‑reach borderland areas.

The tour was blessed by the Chief of Staff: who also serves as the EOC Patron, and led by global Humanitarian Hero Shee during his milestone homecoming visit

The objective of the mission was to expose EOC officers to the real conditions, logistical challenges, geographical complexities, and humanitarian realities of the frontier so they can better plan, prepare for, and execute medical evacuations, emergency dispatch, and disaster operations with increased precision and efficiency.

Showcasing Real-Time Emergency Response:

Madam Diana, spearheaded live demonstrations of the Centre’s innovative real-time dispatch and response procedures.

She led the dispatch simulation throughout the tour where Community members witnessed how rapid deployments are coordinated, how emergencies are triaged, and how lifesaving communication systems function in real field conditions.

Residents expressed deep appreciation after learning that the same EOC team has been behind several Kiunga and cross-border medical evacuations and emergency dispatches, which were conducted swiftly, professionally and more importantly at no cost to the affected communities.

Their gratitude reflects the lifesaving role EOC has quietly played for years across one of Kenya’s most isolated, complex, and fragile frontiers.

Strengthening Trust With Frontier Communities:

The team engaged freely and warmly with vulnerable and marginalized communities, reinforcing goodwill and deepening the essential trust required for effective emergency cooperation.

EOC Legacy:

This legacy, coupled with EOC’s global recognition as an Averted Disaster Award 2024 winner bagged by Trailblazer Shee Kupi in Japan, has strengthened confidence that the institution is well positioned to operate beyond borders and respond to crises with renewed capacity and courage.

Crossing the “Chanu Channel”:

In a bold and symbolic gesture, the EOC team crossed the infamous Chanu Channel, one of the region’s highest-risk maritime corridors and a known hotspot for capsized boats.

This experience gave the officers firsthand insight into the maritime disaster patterns that have long challenged border communities and emergency responders.

This fearless crossing will make their field immersion now ensures that the County’s responders are well prepared for emergencies in even the most difficult terrain.

Crossing Into Somalia: A Historic Humanitarian Gesture!

In a historic extension of the tour, the EOC team also visited Raskamboni, Somalia, where several cross‑border medical evacuations have previously been carried out through EOC’s direct intervention.

The visit served not only as a gesture of solidarity but as an inspiration to local youth, encouraging them to embrace humanitarianism especially since the EOC team is largely youth‑dominant.

The Somalia local administration welcomed the team warmly and pledged seamless cooperation with Lamu County, both in strengthening emergency response systems and enhancing cross‑border peacebuilding as a foundation for development.

This joint humanitarian mission marks a significant step toward improving frontline readiness, fostering cross‑border trust, and preparing responders for emergencies across the entire Kiunga‑Raskamboni belt.

The EOC tour stands as a best practice in community‑centred disaster preparedness and a powerful extension of the homecoming celebrations led by Shee Kupi.