Government activates national response ahead of El Niño rains

The government has activated a national response plan to ensure Kenyans facing heightened risks from flooding and other rain-related hazards receive timely assistance.

With El Niño rains forecast to begin across the country in the coming days, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration says round-the-clock search-and-rescue operations are on standby to respond to any disasters.

In a statement issued Monday morning outlining comprehensive interventions under the National Contingency Plan, the Ministry said the government is prepared to deploy and scale up interventions in line with the severity and geographic spread of emerging impacts.

Key response agencies and resources are on standby, with multi-agency teams comprising the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and National Youth Service (NYS) set to coordinate evacuation efforts.

Designated evacuation and displacement centres have also been established, with a standardised registration system in place to facilitate the identification, tracking and provision of assistance to displaced populations.

Alternative access routes will also be activated where roads and other transport infrastructure are disrupted, while air support will be mobilised through NDOC where required.

Outbreak of diseases

In anticipation of a possible outbreak of communicable diseases, the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and the Incident Management System (IMS) have been deployed to coordinate emergency health services, strengthen surveillance, and support the prevention and control of waterborne infections and vector-borne diseases, with these efforts set to be intensified as conditions require.

Supply pipelines for therapeutic and supplementary nutrition commodities have been secured and verified to ensure continuity of essential support. Water-quality surveillance is also set to be intensified in affected areas, alongside the distribution of water-treatment products.

In addition, sanitation facilities in affected settlements will be assessed, with measures already put in place to minimise contamination and associated public health risks.

Food security

To safeguard food security and livelihoods, pre-positioned food stocks are ready for release in 10 priority counties of Tana River, Garissa, Kisumu, Busia, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kilifi, Wajir, Mandera, and Turkana.

“The government has further pre-positioned relief stocks and emergency shelter materials for deployment to evacuation and displacement sites, while protection monitoring mechanisms are ready to be activated to identify and respond to the needs of vulnerable groups”, the Ministry said.

National exams

Meanwhile, location-specific agricultural advisories will be disseminated to guide farmers as conditions evolve. Animal disease surveillance will also be intensified to protect livestock and mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks.

In the education sector, arrangements are in place to assess the condition and functionality of affected learning institutions and safeguard learning materials where schools are required for use as displacement sites.

The response will be coordinated through the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) to ensure that national and county-level actions remain timely, targeted, and effective.

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, with counties serving as the lead implementers within their jurisdictions and receiving technical guidance from national institutions.

At the sub-county level, Sub-County Disaster Management Teams and Sub-County Steering Groups will coordinate local preparedness, alerting, and first response, working through National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs), community disaster management committees, community health promoters, and other local partners.

To minimise service gaps and duplication, the national and county institutions, through designated lead ministries, departments and agencies, will hold sector leadership and resource coordination responsibilities, while 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

Refugee operations in the Dadaab Complex, Kakuma and Kalobeyei continue to be coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with the Department of Refugee Services (DRS).

The government assured that it will continue to monitor the situation closely, working through NDOC and county-level coordination structures to progressively update its emergency plans and response measures in line with emerging risks and conditions across the country.

The World Meteorological Organisation expects a positive IOD to develop during the September-November period alongside strengthening El Niño conditions.

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