The Cabinet has established an Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on El Niño Preparedness and Response to coordinate the government’s response to the forecast moderate-to-strong El Niño rains expected later this year.
The decision was made during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting chaired by William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, as part of efforts to strengthen national preparedness for climate-related disasters.
The committee, which will be chaired by Kithure Kindiki, has been tasked with overseeing preparations to minimise the impact of the anticipated heavy rains on communities, infrastructure and essential services.
According to the Cabinet dispatch, the committee will immediately activate a National El Niño Contingency Plan aimed at enhancing the country’s readiness before the onset of the rains.
“The committee will immediately activate a National El Niño Contingency Plan covering flood mitigation, evacuation and shelter arrangements, drainage clearance, reinforcement of vulnerable roads and bridges, pre-positioning of emergency equipment and medical supplies, farmer advisories, and a contingency fund for relief, recovery and rehabilitation,” the Cabinet dispatch states.
The contingency plan includes measures to mitigate flooding, prepare evacuation and shelter facilities, clear drainage systems, reinforce vulnerable roads and bridges, and pre-position emergency equipment and medical supplies in high-risk areas.
It also provides for farmer advisories to help the agricultural sector prepare for the expected weather conditions, as well as the establishment of a contingency fund to support relief operations, recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the event of disasters.
The Cabinet said the measures are intended to strengthen national resilience and ensure coordinated government action to protect lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure from the effects of the forecast El Niño season.
