Government Activates National Contingency Plan for Expected El Niño Rains and Places Key Agencies on High Alert
The government has activated a national contingency plan in preparation for the expected onset of El Niño rains. Security, health, food and humanitarian response agencies have been placed on standby to deal with possible flooding, disease outbreaks and disruption of transport and essential services.
According to the latest update from the Ministry of Interior issued on Monday morning, the National Disaster Operations Centre will coordinate the overall response. National and county governments are expected to scale up interventions based on the severity and geographical spread of the impacts.
Designated evacuation and displacement centres have already been established. A standardised registration system is in place to identify, track and provide assistance to people displaced by the rains. Alternative access routes will be activated in areas where roads and other transport infrastructure are disrupted. Air support will be mobilised through the National Disaster Operations Centre when necessary.
The Kenya Coast Guard Service, Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Red Cross Society and National Youth Service have been tasked to conduct round-the-clock search and rescue operations where required.
Health authorities are preparing for possible outbreaks of communicable diseases that often follow flooding and water contamination. The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and the Incident Management System have been deployed to coordinate emergency health services, strengthen surveillance and support the prevention and control of waterborne infections and vector-borne diseases. These efforts will be intensified as conditions require. Supply pipelines for therapeutic and supplementary nutrition commodities have also been secured to ensure continuity of essential support during emergencies.
Water quality surveillance will be intensified in affected areas alongside the distribution of water treatment products. Sanitation facilities in settlements affected by flooding will be assessed to minimise contamination and related public health risks.
To protect food security and cushion vulnerable populations, the government has pre-positioned food stocks in ten priority counties considered particularly vulnerable to the effects of the rains. These counties are Tana River, Garissa, Kisumu, Busia, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kilifi, Wajir, Mandera and Turkana. Relief supplies and emergency shelter materials have also been pre-positioned for deployment to evacuation and displacement centres. Protection monitoring mechanisms are ready to identify and respond to the needs of vulnerable groups.
Farmers will receive location-specific agricultural advisories as weather conditions evolve. Animal disease surveillance is being intensified to protect livestock and prevent potential outbreaks.
The education sector has also been placed on alert. Authorities will assess the condition and functionality of learning institutions affected by the rains. Schools that may be required as displacement centres will have their learning materials safeguarded.
Counties will serve as the lead implementers within their jurisdictions with technical support from national institutions. Governors, working with County Commissioners, will coordinate preparedness, response and recovery through County Disaster Risk Management Committees and County Emergency Operations Centres. At the sub-county level, disaster management teams and steering groups will coordinate local preparedness, early warning and first response efforts through National Government Administration Officers, community disaster management committees, community health promoters and other local partners.
National and county institutions, through designated lead ministries, departments and agencies, will hold sector leadership and resource coordination responsibilities to minimise service gaps and duplication. Humanitarian partners have aligned their interventions with government priorities through established coordination structures that enable the systematic exchange of operational plans, assessment findings and resource allocations.
Refugee operations in the Dadaab Complex, Kakuma and Kalobeyei will continue to be coordinated by the UN Refugee Agency in partnership with the Department of Refugee Services.
The government will continue monitoring the situation through the National Disaster Operations Centre and county coordination structures and will update its emergency response plans as the risks posed by the rains evolve.