Nairobi County in Kenya is gearing up to tackle the anticipated El Niño rains from October to December. The Kenya Meteorological Department issued advisories in August warning of wetter-than-normal or above-average rainfall. To prepare, the county has been conducting a heightened cleaning exercise involving drainage clearing, waste collection, and building better drainage systems. This effort aims to protect up to 100,000 residents or 20,000 households at risk from devastating flash floods.
The county has formulated a plan to better combat the weather extreme and not fall victim to past mistakes. Nairobi previously experienced devastating flash floods that claimed lives and destroyed property, with the most recent incident occurring in March-May 2026, claiming at least 66 lives. Many residents blamed poor infrastructural designs that cannot withstand heavy rains. The county has now mapped out 246 hotspots prone to be most affected based on previous severe outcomes.
A multi-agency approach chaired by Governor Johnson Sakaja will involve the community and key disaster management institutions. The approach includes the fire brigade, disaster risk reduction unit, Red Cross, and other actors to come up with a response plan. The county has placed more emphasis on chokepoints segmented into four corridors: Nairobi Dam-Kibra, Mukuru-Industrial Area, Dagoretti-Kawangware, and the Northern and Eastern corridor stretching from Mathare, Umoja towards Ruai areas.
The county has identified areas to build 172 holding centres close to the mapped-out areas to provide temporary shelter and emergency services. For better coordination, a streamlined channel of communication will enhance swift and timely response whenever disaster strikes. A dedicated emergency operations centre is based at Lady Northey along State House road, and a dedicated crisis communication centre is being set up at City Hall.
The county is also polishing operations in different institutions, such as the Fire Station, in terms of the number of firemen and their resources. The fire department has assured cooperation and readiness to play a crucial role in the mitigation process. The county plans to use a 12-6-2-0 approach in its response, which is believed to be the antidote to the anticipated heavy rains.
Despite the preparedness, Nairobians need to remain cooperative to make the county government's work easy and reduce the intensity of the disaster. Disaster management is not a one-entity affair, and the behaviour of society has created the problem. The county is looking at disaster management from a holistic perspective, requiring cooperation from residents to mitigate the impact of the El Niño rains.
Bramwel Simiyu, the County Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Coordination, stated that the county has built on past mistakes to develop an effective strategy to deal with the rains. The multi-agency team has made significant efforts in mitigation and prevention. Residents are expected to play a crucial role in disaster management by being aware of the risks and taking necessary precautions.
Key points
- The county has mapped out 246 hotspots prone to be most affected by the El Niño rains.
- A multi-agency approach chaired by Governor Johnson Sakaja will involve the community and key disaster management institutions.
- The county plans to build 172 holding centres close to the mapped-out areas to provide temporary shelter and emergency services.
