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Description of the crisis
Severe flooding in Kenya which started in October 2023 have killed at least 1781 people, injured 242 and displaced thousands, caused by unusually active El Niño rains. Thirty-eight counties out of the 47 in the country have been affected by a dangerous combination of riverine floods, flash floods, and landslides.
At the time of reporting, over 139,051 households have been affected, causing displacement to 64,516 households currently there remain 28 camps hosting over 29,813 households. Destroyed infrastructure continues to hamper the response, leading to challenges in supply chain and access to basic services like health facilities and schools. Communities have also reported loss of livestock and businesses premises leading to loss of livelihood.
The floods are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region just as it emerges from the worst drought in four decades, which has left millions of people hungry. Some of the hardest hit areas have been the semi-arid lands where pastoralism is the economic driver for livelihoods. These areas are still recovering from the worst drought in 40 years, which led to high rates of malnutrition.
The drought, coupled with El Niño rains and extreme temperatures, underscores the climate change challenges that Kenya and other countries in the Horn of Africa region are grappling with. Moreover, the situation is worsening as the rains continue, with the country's Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) predicting continued heavy rainfall until the end of January 2024.
Forecast of rains with continued impact
As per the climate outlook, the season has run into January 2024 where more effects are being reported. In January a further 5 people have died.