Kenya has activated a national emergency response plan ahead of expected El Niño rains, placing search and rescue teams, evacuation centres and emergency supplies on standby as authorities warn of flooding and landslides.
The ministry of interior and national administration announced the measures on Monday, saying the response would be coordinated through the National Disaster Operations Centre and scaled up according to the severity and spread of weather related impacts.
The Kenya Coast Guard Service, Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Red Cross Society and National Youth Service have been placed on standby to support evacuation and rescue operations.
The government said designated evacuation and displacement centres had been established, while relief food stocks are ready for release in 10 priority counties, including Tana River, Garissa, Kisumu, Busia, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kilifi, Wajir, Mandera and Turkana. Emergency shelter materials have also been pre-positioned.
Deborah Barasa, environment cabinet secretary, urged people living along rivers and in landslide prone areas to move to safer ground. She said the ministry was working with village elders to map vulnerable communities and provide information on flood, landslide and pollution risks.
Kenya’s October-December rainfall season has begun, with rain already recorded in parts of western Kenya, the Rift Valley and coastal region. The Kenya Meteorological Department expects above normal rainfall in several areas, increasing risks of flooding, waterlogging and landslides.
The government said water quality surveillance and disease monitoring would also be intensified as the rains continue.
