Wajir unveils emergency measures ahead of El Niño

Muyoti banks on Leopards knowledge to plot Ingwe downfall Football

Adhiambo set for Lionesses return in Africa Sevens redemption bid Rugby

The Wajir government has activated emergency measures to forestall disease outbreaks and infrastructure destruction ahead of anticipated heavy October–December rains.

They include mass livestock vaccination and road clearing.

On Tuesday, the Wajir County Steering Group held its first flood-risk management meeting. The forum brought together officials from the county and national governments, the Kenya Meteorological Department, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and other disaster management partners.

The meeting focused on identifying vulnerable areas, assessing potential impacts and putting in place measures to protect lives, livestock, infrastructure and livelihoods before the rains begin.

The authorities warned of possible flooding, disease outbreaks, transport disruptions and infrastructure damage.

Wajir county director for disaster management Abdikadir Hussein said they had identified major risk areas and were seeking concrete preventive measures.

“We have identified our vulnerabilities, the risk areas, as well as the needs and activities that we need to undertake before the rainfall,” he said.

Hussein said the county government was prioritising the maintenance of roads and drainage systems to ensure communities remain accessible during the rainy season.

“We are looking at making sure our roads are passable. We are also putting measures in place to unclog the drainage systems within Wajir Municipality,” he said, adding that major transport corridors would remain motorable so emergency support can reach cut-off areas.

For Wajir, a predominantly pastoralist county, authorities warned that enhanced rainfall could trigger a sharp increase in livestock and vector-borne diseases.

Hussein singled out Rift Valley fever as a primary threat requiring early intervention.

“Wajir is a livestock county, and our major risk during enhanced rainfall is an outbreak of vector-borne diseases, especially Rift Valley fever, which affects animals but can also spread to humans. It is a very fatal disease,” he said.

The county plans to vaccinate livestock before the rains while pre-positioning food, emergency supplies and medical commodities in health facilities.

“We are looking at vaccinating our animals before the rainy season. We are also looking at pre-positioning food and other essential supplies, as well as ensuring emergency medical supplies are available in our hospitals before the forecasted rains,” Hussein said.

County director of meteorological services Daniel Wanjuhi confirmed the county expects enhanced rainfall between October and December.

However, he cautioned residents against drawing direct comparisons to the devastating 1997 El Niño season.

“We are expecting enhanced rainfall in Wajir between October and December. However, people should not expect rainfall of the same magnitude as what happened in 1997,” Wanjuhi said.

NDMA Wajir county coordinator Omar Abdi said stakeholders examined possible sectoral impacts across livestock, agriculture, water, health, nutrition, humanitarian assistance and transport.

Contingency plans have been developed to guide the response.

“We looked at the possible impacts on each of these sectors and established there could be adverse effects on transportation, as well as an increased incidence of diseases affecting both livestock and the human population in Wajir,” Abdi said.

He warned that flooding could disrupt food supply chains, making early stocking critical.

“There is also a possibility that major food commodities may not reach Wajir. We therefore need to think about how we can pre-position these essential items well ahead of the rainy season,” he said.

Abdi said the onset of the rains is expected in the third week of October, with cessation likely in the first or second week of December.

He urged residents to clear drainage channels around homes, protect wells from contamination, strengthen house foundations and secure roof gutters.

Suleiman Saney, the KRCS Wajir county coordinator, said the organisation has shifted from monitoring to early action, mobilising volunteers across the region’s six subcounties and mapping flood-prone hotspots.

“We have ensured we are adequately prepared by pre-positioning essential supplies at identified hotspots,” Saney said, adding that community alert systems are being strengthened to guide residents on safeguarding property.