Kenya Red Cross Deputy Secretary General for Programmes Joe Mbalu has warned that the country is facing a growing humanitarian crisis caused by recurring floods, prolonged drought and limited emergency resources.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Friday, Mbalu said humanitarian agencies are increasingly being forced to respond to several disasters at the same time even as funding and operational support remain inadequate.
“Right now in this country, we are dealing with a complex emergency floods on one end, drought on the other end, and the resources available to deal with that are not sufficient,” he argued.
His remarks come as Kenya continues to experience extreme weather conditions that have left millions of people in need of food, water, shelter and emergency assistance.
Counties including Turkana, Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Tana River, West Pokot and Baringo remain among the areas hardest hit by drought. At the same time, floods have affected Nairobi, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Nakuru, Narok, Garissa, Tana River and West Pokot.
Kenya Red Cross Officials help rescue Kenyans caught in flash floods following heavy downpour in different counties. PHOTO/Kenya Red Cross
According to Kenya Red Cross, more than two million people are currently affected by drought across several counties, with food insecurity and malnutrition cases continuing to rise among children and mothers.
The organisation also played a major role during the deadly 2024 floods that displaced more than 300,000 people and destroyed homes, roads and public infrastructure.
During the floods, Kenya Red Cross carried out rescue operations, distributed food supplies, trucked water to affected communities and rehabilitated boreholes. The agency also provided emergency cash transfers, nutrition support and shelter materials to displaced families.
Volunteers were deployed to internally displaced persons camps to offer emergency support and psychosocial services.
The government, through the Ministry of Interior and the State Department for ASALs, established 115 camps across 19 counties to shelter flood victims and distributed food supplies including rice and beans.
Authorities also formed disaster response committees and started rebuilding damaged roads, schools and water systems in affected areas.
Mbalu said humanitarian agencies cannot afford to delay interventions while waiting for all resources to become available because vulnerable communities would continue suffering.
“But then the challenge becomes, if we were to wait for the resources for everything to come together, then there will be people that will be suffering,” Mbalu noted.
He explained that the Red Cross movement was founded on ordinary people stepping in to help during crises. Mbalu noted that founder Henry Dunant mobilised villagers to assist wounded people during wartime in 1859 despite not being a doctor or soldier.
“It has always been about ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” Mbalu said.
Mbalu also highlighted the emotional and mental pressure faced by volunteers and emergency responders working in traumatic situations.
He said psychosocial support teams are integrated into humanitarian operations to monitor the wellbeing of responders and volunteers during emergencies.
“As part of the volunteers, part of the volunteer teams is also a psychosocial team whose work in the entire operation is just to keep looking after the mental health of the people,” the official stated.
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He added that volunteers are assigned responsibilities depending on their emotional preparedness.
“There are people who cringe at seeing blood. So then you can still participate as a volunteer, but you will not be in the frontline on a trauma emergency,” he explained.
Mbalu acknowledged that humanitarian work can sometimes lead to injuries, emotional trauma and deaths among volunteers, especially in conflict areas.
He revealed that 2026 has been designated the International Year of the Volunteer by the United Nations and within the Red Cross movement following rising attacks on aid workers globally.
“Over the last two, three years, we have had the highest number of humanitarian workers and volunteers losing their lives in the line of duty,” Mbalu stressed.
Drawing from his experience in conflict zones, Mbalu said the safety of responders must remain the top priority during humanitarian operations.
“The safety of the responder is the most important,” he noted. “You don't put yourself in harm’s way because then somebody will have to take care of you.”
He further explained that humanitarian agencies depend on neutrality and continuous engagement with all parties in conflict areas to secure safe access for aid delivery.
“The volunteers are community-based,” the official highlightd. “The Red Cross existed before the conflict and was known to probably both parties who are now in conflict.”
Mbalu also said humanitarian organisations engage gangs and non-state armed groups to ensure aid workers are recognised as neutral actors.
“Our responsibility is actually to be able to talk to both parties and even those gangs,” he said.
Beyond emergency response, Mbalu said humanitarian agencies are increasingly focusing on long-term resilience programmes such as borehole drilling, livestock restocking, fodder support and seed distribution to help communities better cope with recurring disasters.
He also warned that humanitarian agencies are preparing for a possible super El Niño expected later this year during the October to December rainy season.
“We know for a fact already that we are going to have a super El Niño in the next season,” he said, referring to the October to December rainy period.
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