Kenya has time to prepare for El Niño, Sifuna warns against delays

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called on the national government to urgently release a detailed El Niño preparedness and response plan, saying Kenya has enough time to prepare for the expected weather event and should not wait until communities are hit by floods and other disasters.

Addressing the Senate on Thursday, Sifuna said weather forecasts had already provided authorities with sufficient warning, making it necessary for the government to put in place measures that would protect lives, property and livelihoods before the rains arrive.

The senator stressed that Kenya cannot afford to ignore scientific forecasts, particularly after the destruction caused by recent floods that claimed lives and displaced thousands of people across the country.

He urged government agencies to take expert warnings seriously and use the available lead time to strengthen disaster preparedness efforts, especially in areas that are vulnerable to flooding.

"We have to be a country that listens to experts. Previous experiences with serious flooding in 2023–24, for instance, we lost over 300 lives and almost 50,000 people were displaced," Sifuna said.

He cautioned against any assumption that the warnings issued by meteorological experts would fail to materialise, saying preparedness measures should begin immediately.

"The national government must now publish a comprehensive El Niño preparedness and response plan. We want to know what to do in the event of certain happenings," he said.

Sifuna said Kenyans deserve to know in advance what actions are being taken by state agencies, including emergency response arrangements and support programmes for residents living in flood-prone regions.

The senator also pressed the government to identify and establish emergency evacuation centres in areas considered highly vulnerable to flooding and ensure the public is informed about their locations before any disaster occurs.

"We want to see emergency evacuation centres being set up and all of us should know where those things are," he said.

According to Sifuna, clearly designated evacuation centres would enable faster emergency responses during flooding incidents and help reduce the risk of loss of life.

His remarks came a day after Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina raised concerns over the country's level of preparedness following warnings from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that El Niño conditions are developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Ledama urged county governments to place disaster preparedness at the centre of their planning, warning that failure to act could expose residents and local economies to serious losses.

"Listen, this is very serious, and you must act now or you will suffer the consequences of inaction. The coming El Niño is not a warning; it is a direct threat to lives, infrastructure, and entire local economies," Ledama said on Wednesday.

He pointed to recent flooding witnessed in Nairobi and warned that several parts of Narok County, including Narok West, Emurua Dikirr and Narok South, could be cut off if rivers burst their banks during periods of heavy rainfall.

The WMO has projected an 80 per cent chance of El Niño conditions developing between June and August 2026, with the probability of the phenomenon continuing through November standing at more than 90 per cent.

The agency attributed the developing conditions to unusually warm ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, noting that El Niño is often linked to rising global temperatures and more extreme weather events.

In Kenya, past El Niño episodes have frequently been associated with above-average rainfall and widespread flooding, prompting growing calls for both national and county governments to intensify preparedness efforts before the expected rains begin.