NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 31 — The government is stepping up preparations to protect learners, teachers and schools from disruptions as Kenya braces for a potentially strong El Niño weather event expected in October and November.
The Ministry of Education and the Kenya Red Cross Society are working on measures to safeguard school communities and ensure learning continues, including the administration of national examinations and assessments, despite the anticipated heavy rains.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the ministry was reviewing its disaster preparedness plans in consultation with humanitarian partners as the country prepares for the expected weather event.
Ogamba said the education sector was particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters, which can threaten the safety of learners and teachers while damaging school infrastructure and interrupting learning.
“The education sector is exposed to disasters occasioned by climate change and related risks. Disaster preparedness and management are therefore indispensable to ensuring the safety and security of learners, teachers and school property, and the seamless delivery of education and training,” Ogamba said.
He issued the statement after meeting Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Ahmed Idris at Jogoo House B in Nairobi to discuss preparedness for the forecast El Niño conditions.
“This afternoon, I held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Society, Dr. Ahmed Idris, at the Ministry’s Jogoo House B offices, to discuss the Ministry’s preparedness in light of the forecast of a strong El Nino weather event expected in October and November,” he said.
Ogamba said the ministry would work with the Red Cross and other partners to put in place measures to minimise the impact of extreme weather on schools.
“The Ministry, together with partners such as the Kenya Red Cross Society, will implement all measures necessary to ensure that learners, teachers and school communities are safe, and that education programmes, including national examinations and assessments, proceed without interruption,” he said.
The preparations come weeks after the government identified 18 counties and several urban centres as being at heightened risk from the anticipated El Niño rains.
The National Disaster Operations Centre has identified areas in the Coast, Lake Basin, Rift Valley and North Eastern regions as vulnerable to hazards including flooding, landslides, disease outbreaks, infrastructure damage and displacement.
Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu have also been classified as high-risk urban centres, with authorities warning of possible flooding, blocked drainage systems and disruption of essential services.
The Kenya Meteorological Service has forecast an 81 per cent chance of a strong El Niño event, with a 97 per cent probability that its effects could persist into early next year, according to an Interior Ministry assessment issued earlier this month.
For the education sector, the anticipated rains could expose schools to flooding, damage to classrooms and other infrastructure, impassable roads and disruption of attendance, particularly in vulnerable areas.
