Kenya must prepare for another drought even as it braces for heavy El Niño rains, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Muga has warned, saying the country remains trapped in a cycle of floods followed by prolonged dry spells unless more is done to store water.
Muga said the expected rains would not remove the risk of drought next year, urging the country to be realistic about its recurring weather pattern and the need to strengthen water storage.
Speaking on NTV on Tuesday, the CS said the government was already taking steps to protect communities and water infrastructure as the country prepares for the October-December rains.
“I don't want to sit in this studio talking to my friends and Kenyans and lie to you,” Muga said when asked whether the expected rains would prevent drought next year.
“That is the cycle in this country.I think, you saw last year we had a challenge with drought,” he added.
Muga said the government had to acknowledge Kenya’s vulnerability to alternating periods of heavy rainfall and drought rather than assume that a season of good rains would solve the country’s water problems.
He said the government was inspecting dam spillways and monitoring water levels to ensure dams can safely handle increased inflows during the rainy season.
“What we are doing right now is first of all to ensure that all our spillways are okay, because we don't want a dam, and the spillway is not working, and then the dam will have to be swept away,” he said.
The ministry is also preparing for the impact of floods on water infrastructure and supplies, including the possibility of damaged facilities and contaminated water sources.
Muga said water treatment supplies would be stocked in readiness, while contingency measures would be put in place to ensure communities affected or displaced by floods can access safe drinking water.
The government is also relying on hydromet monitoring stations operated by the Kenya Meteorological Department and the Water Resources Authority to track changes in river and dam levels and provide early warnings.
“We should know… on time that this certain dam, at the rate of the inflow, it is likely to spill on this date because we know the capacity,” he said.
According to Muga, communities living downstream of dams are also being prepared through drills and simulations to help them respond in case of dangerous water levels. Authorities are at the same time discouraging people from settling on riparian land.
The warning comes as the government steps up preparations for the expected October-December El Niño rains, with 18 counties identified as high-risk areas.
The areas face possible flooding, landslides, disease outbreaks, displacement and damage to infrastructure during the rainy season.
The affected counties are Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu, Mombasa, Kwale, Kisumu, Busia, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Nairobi, Turkana, Baringo, West Pokot, Narok, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has also warned that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding in low-lying and riverine areas, damage infrastructure and contaminate water sources.
Muga’s warning places the focus not only on managing the immediate risks posed by the expected rains, but also on ensuring Kenya has enough water stored to withstand the dry period that could follow.