Kenya has begun a nationwide health preparedness drive ahead of the expected El Niño rains, with the Ministry of Health warning that flooding could trigger disease outbreaks, injuries, displacement and disruption of essential medical services.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecast a 99 per cent chance of above-normal rainfall between October and December 2026, with the rains expected to continue into February 2027.
In an advisory issued on September 14, the Ministry of Health directed all 47 counties to take early action, working with partners and households to reduce the health risks linked to heavy rainfall and flooding.
The ministry said contaminated water sources and increased mosquito breeding could lead to more cases of cholera, typhoid, malaria, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever and other diarrhoeal diseases.
Flooding could also result in drowning, injuries and displacement while damaging health facilities and cutting off patients from medical care. Disruptions to food supplies could further expose children to malnutrition.
The warning is based partly on the experience of the September 2023 to February 2024 El Niño period, when 43 of the 47 counties were affected.
During that period, 175 people died, 40 went missing and 242 were injured, while 384,216 people were displaced into 170 camps. Of 1,434 health facilities assessed in 11 counties, 64 became inaccessible, with increased cases of cholera, Rift Valley fever and malaria also reported.
The ministry said lessons from the previous emergency have shaped the current response.
"We are acting early and together. We have learnt from previous El Nino emergencies, and our goal is to prevent avoidable deaths, disease outbreaks and disruption of health services."
Under the Health Sector El Nino Contingency Plan, counties have been directed to activate emergency coordination teams and Public Health Emergency Operations Centres, identify facilities that could flood or become inaccessible and ensure adequate supplies of medicines, vaccines and other essential items.
Counties will also strengthen disease surveillance, monitor drinking water, step up malaria prevention and mosquito control, prepare ambulances and emergency teams, manage malnutrition and maintain essential health services.
The ministry has identified areas requiring close attention, including Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit and Garissa; Kitui, Makueni and Machakos; and Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River, Taita Taveta and Mombasa. Other high-risk areas include the Kano Plains, Budalang'i, Tana Delta and landslide-prone areas in Murang'a, Nyeri, Meru, the Gusii Highlands, West Pokot and parts of the Rift Valley escarpment.
National preparations are being coordinated through the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre alongside the Kenya Meteorological Department, National Disaster Operations Centre, county governments and partners.
For households, the ministry has urged residents to boil or treat unsafe drinking water, store it in covered containers, wash hands with soap, keep food covered and avoid floodwater.
Families have also been advised to use treated mosquito nets, clear stagnant water and keep essential medicines, first-aid supplies, oral rehydration salts and water-treatment products ready.
Anyone with sudden watery diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, severe weakness, difficulty drinking, reduced urination, bloody diarrhoea or persistent fever should seek medical care immediately.