The Kenyan government has activated a comprehensive national response plan ahead of the expected onset of El Niño rains across the country in the coming days.
The government said the measures, being implemented under the National Contingency Plan, are aimed at ensuring timely assistance to communities at heightened risk of flooding and other rain-related hazards.
Key response agencies and resources have been placed on standby, with interventions expected to be scaled up depending on the severity and geographical spread of the impacts.
The Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and National Youth Service (NYS) will undertake round-the-clock search-and-rescue operations where required.
The government has also established designated evacuation and displacement centres, with a standardised registration system to identify, track and support displaced people.
Alternative access routes will be activated in areas where roads and other transport infrastructure are disrupted, while air support will be mobilised through the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) when necessary.
The government has activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and Incident Management System (IMS) in anticipation of possible outbreaks of communicable diseases.
The systems will coordinate emergency health services, strengthen disease surveillance and support efforts to prevent and control waterborne and vector-borne diseases.
Water-quality surveillance will also be intensified in affected areas, alongside the distribution of water-treatment products. Sanitation facilities in affected settlements will be assessed to minimise contamination and public health risks.
The government further said supplies of therapeutic and supplementary nutrition commodities have been secured to ensure continuity of essential support during the emergency.
To safeguard food security and livelihoods, the government has pre-positioned food stocks in 10 Priority 1 counties.
The counties are Tana River, Garissa, Kisumu, Busia, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kilifi, Wajir, Mandera and Turkana.
Relief stocks and emergency shelter materials have also been positioned for deployment to evacuation and displacement centres, while protection monitoring mechanisms are ready to respond to the needs of vulnerable groups.
Farmers will receive location-specific agricultural advisories as weather conditions evolve, while animal disease surveillance will be intensified to protect livestock and reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.
The education sector has also been placed on alert, with arrangements to assess affected learning institutions and safeguard learning materials in cases where schools may be used as displacement centres.
The National Disaster Operations Centre will coordinate the overall response to ensure national and county-level interventions remain timely and targeted.
At the county level, Governors, working with County Commissioners, will coordinate preparedness, response and recovery through County Disaster Risk Management Committees and County Emergency Operations Centres.
Counties will serve as the lead implementers within their jurisdictions, receiving technical support from national institutions.
At the sub-county level, disaster management teams and steering groups will coordinate local preparedness, alerts and first response in collaboration with government administrators, community disaster management committees, community health promoters and other partners.
The government said humanitarian partners have aligned their interventions with national priorities to minimise duplication and service gaps.
Refugee operations in the Dadaab Complex, Kakuma and Kalobeyei will continue to be coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with the Department of Refugee Services.
The government said it will continue
