Deputy President Kithure Kindiki assured the country that the government is laying down adequate measures in anticipation of El Nino rains expected in Kenya later in the year.
He said the administration is proactively engaged with all the respective actors to make sure the country is not caught by surprise after latest weather forecasts pointed to the strong likelihood of the heavy rains between October and December.
“We assure the country that there is no need to panic. We are engaging all the ministries, departments, agencies and all state organs to ensure that in the event of the rains, the country is prepared and we are not caught by surprise,” DP stated.
During a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Ruto last Tuesday, the Deputy President was tasked to chair an Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on El Nino Preparedness and Response that will oversee the nation’s preparations for the rains.
On Thursday, the Deputy President chaired the initial Committee meeting at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi.
“We will take action to make sure that there is no disruption of civic order, disruption of movement of goods and service and public health concerns. We will also take preventive action in areas prone to mudslides, landslides and floods to prevent loss of human lives and any other disruptive occurrences associated with El Nino rains,” he assured.
He said the response will be more organized as the new law on disaster response provides a framework for faster, better and efficient coordination between respective agencies.
Further, Prof. Kindiki noted that the national government will closely partner with counties for coordinated response challenging the devolved units to proactively activate their own mechanisms for seamless collaboration.
He said the National Disaster Risk Management Act, 2026 which came into effect last month provides for early preparations as well as enabling collaboration between the two levels of government in the event of disasters.
“In the spirit of coordinated approach, we are going to partner at this early stage with county governments as required by the new law to make sure there is a seamless preparation phase for any eventuality,” DP indicated.
Among key activities that will be done collaboratively are the unclogging of the drainage canals in Nairobi to avert destructive floods in the nation’s capital city.
“The Ministry of Infrastructure is working on certain interventions in Nairobi to make sure we mitigate the impact on its drainage systems,” he noted.
The DP also said the country is ready to respond to an Ebola outbreak in the country, adding that no single case has been reported.
“Our country has been actively prepared for the longest time and there is no cause for alarm because there is no case reported but our preparations, simulation and contingency measures are fully in place,” he said.
