NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 9 – The Ministry of Health has activated its El Niño preparedness plan in 18 high-risk counties as Kenya braces for heavy rains expected during the October-December season, with officials warning of increased flooding, displacement and outbreaks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases.

📻 Breaking It Down

Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said the ministry was seeking support from development and health partners to strengthen the government’s response and ensure essential services reach communities likely to be affected.

Speaking on Wednesday during a health partners’ engagement ahead of the Kenya Public Health International Conference (KEPHIC) 2026, Ms Muthoni said Kenya had learnt important lessons from previous El Niño-related disasters and was better prepared to respond to the expected rains.

“We have experienced El Niño before, and we have taken time to learn from past disasters and build on the challenges we faced so that we can better mitigate its effects,” Muthoni said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The ministry is seeking assistance for temporary medical structures, emergency medical services, health promotion campaigns, nutritional assessments, safe water and sanitation interventions, logistics, protection of critical health infrastructure and medical supplies.

The government has identified 18 counties as particularly vulnerable to the effects of the anticipated rains. They include areas in the Coast, Lake Basin, Rift Valley and North Eastern regions, with Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu also identified as high-risk urban centres.

In the Coast region, Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu, Mombasa and Kwale face risks including flooding, storm surges, coastal erosion and infrastructure damage. In the Lake Basin, Kisumu, Busia, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori are at risk of flooding, landslides, disease outbreaks and displacement.

The ministry is particularly concerned about the health consequences of flooding, which can contaminate water sources and overwhelm sanitation systems, increasing the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other water- and food-borne illnesses. Heavy rains and stagnant water can also create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, raising the risk of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

The government is also planning to distribute 10 million treated mosquito nets from November, targeting more than four million people considered vulnerable to malaria as part of measures to reduce the health impact of the rains.

The warning comes after Kenya suffered extensive flooding during the 2023 El Niño season. While the Health Ministry says 43 counties were affected, climate and health assessments show the scale of the disaster, with more than 750,000 people affected by floods between October and December 2023. The floods caused deaths, displacement and damage to homes, roads, farms and other critical infrastructure.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya