Kenya calls on 1.5 million people to flee floods
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africanews
The Kenyan government has asked 1.5 million people to leave their homes and seek higher ground because of flood risks linked to a “super El Niño”, expected from October to December with a peak in November. The Kenya Meteorological Authority forecasts heavier-than-usual rainfall, according to Africanews.
The Kenya Meteorological Service Authority has warned that a “super El Niño” is expected to bring heavier rainfall from October to December, with a peak expected in November. In Nairobi, the county’s disaster management official, Bramwell Simiyu, said 172 potential shelters had been identified and stocked with emergency supplies, with rescuers expected to be deployed there.
Kenyan authorities also plan to pre-position rescue teams as well as stocks of food and non-food items at the shelters. Bramwell Simiyu explained that this arrangement should reduce response times, as the 2024 floods had made it difficult to reach some affected people.
In Mathare, a Nairobi neighbourhood crossed by the Mathare River, residents have launched clean-up operations along the waterway to limit the accumulation of waste. Victor Ojoo, a resident of the neighbourhood, explained that residents had previously focused on drainage systems around businesses, roads and fields.
A World Resources Institute report also estimates that Nairobi’s growing vulnerability to flooding is due in particular to longstanding urban planning failures, the disappearance of wetlands and insufficient enforcement of land-use rules.
