The government has called on Kenyans to prepare early for the expected El Niño rains, while stepping up efforts to ensure the public receives clear and reliable information before the weather phenomenon hits.
Broadcasting Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke said there was no reason for alarm, but urged Kenyans to remain watchful and act on verified advisories issued by government and technical agencies.
“Our message is clear, there is no cause for panic but there is every reason to prepare early,” the PS said.
Speaking during a media briefing on September 10, 2026, Isaboke said official information would be especially important as the country prepares for the expected rains, with advisories expected to guide communities based on their local situations.
“Remain alert and follow verified government advisories,” the PS said.
He said the government was putting measures in place to make sure accurate information reaches Kenyans on time, while ensuring that public communication remains clear and official.
“We will ensure there is timely dissemination of verified information, clear and official communication going out,” the PS said.
Isaboke said government ministries, agencies and other stakeholders would work together to coordinate information released to the public. The effort will also seek to deal with misinformation and ensure that Kenyans receive consistent messages from government.
“We will bring together relevant ministries and agencies and other stakeholders to coordinate public messaging, and address misinformation and strengthen consistency in government communication,” Isaboke said.
The PS cautioned the public against treating information shared on social media as fact without verification. He instead asked Kenyans to depend on government channels and technical agencies for updates, particularly those issued for their counties and communities.
“We urge Kenyans to rely on information from official government and technical agencies and pay attention to advisories relevant to their counties and communities,” the PS said.
Isaboke said the expected scale of the weather event made public awareness a key part of the preparations, noting that authorities needed to communicate widely and repeatedly to ensure the message reached as many people as possible.
“In communication lingua and especially when a big thing is coming like the phenomena we are expecting, we are actually told to over communicate,” the PS said.
He encouraged Kenyans to pass reliable information to others while avoiding the spread of false reports that could create confusion.
The PS compared the government's approach to the Biblical account of Noah's Ark, saying the public needed to be warned early about the possibility of a major weather event.
“It the Bible Noah’s Ark, shout, shout and let everybody be aware that there is going to be a big phenomena coming,” the PS said.
“It is coming, 90 per cent predicted.”
Isaboke said the National Crisis Communication Committee had also been activated to strengthen the government's preparedness and guide communication during the period.
“That is why we are here to ensure the National Crisis Communication Committee is working at operationalizing communication planning and protocols to guide public messaging,” the PS said.
He said the committee would focus on ensuring information reaching Kenyans is accurate, timely, verified and useful, allowing the public to understand the situation and respond appropriately.
“The objective of the communication is to ensure we have accurate, timely, verified and actionable information that reaches Kenyans,” the PS said.
Isaboke said the government's wider aim was to ensure individuals and communities have enough reliable information to make informed decisions and take the necessary steps to protect lives and property as the country prepares for the expected rains.