To date, this Emergency Appeal, which seeks CHF18,000,000 Federation Wide is 16% funded. Further funding contributions are needed to enable the Kenya Red Cross Society, with support from IFRC, to continue with the response efforts by providing humanitarian assistance and protecting the people affected by the floods.
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Communities in Kenya are once again facing heavy rains and devasting floods. Since mid-March it is reported that at least 38 people have died, 27 people injured and 17 missing as of 23 April. The above-average rainfall during this March-April-May (MAM) long rains season has severely hit parts of the Lake Victoria Basin, Highlands West of the Rift Valley, Central, Northern and Southern Rift Valley, Highlands East of the Rift Valley (including Nairobi County), Northeastern, Southeastern Lowlands, and Northwestern regions. The floods have also hit the capital in residential informal settlements areas of Nairobi as rivers overflowed. The Kenya Meteorological Service forecasts that rainfall will peak this week.
The excessive rains already cause havoc in the country where several lives have been lost as people tried to cross flooded rivers. People also died and sustained injuries after they were carried away by flash floods and struck by lightning sheltering under trees. Properties including homes, schools and business were destroyed in several counties in the areas receiving above average rainfall. Thousands of family homes were also destroyed with county of Tana River having the highest displacement and the highest numbers of camps. There were also cases of landslides and mudslides in central Kenya affecting both families with even young children. Kenyan officials and humanitarian agencies have called on the population to avoid flooded areas, move to higher ground and avoid driving when it rains heavily.
The floods are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country just as it emerges from the El Nino floods which occurred late 2023 when at least 178 people were killed, 242 injured and thousands displaced. 38 counties out of the 47 in the country were affected by a dangerous combination of riverine floods, flash floods, and landslides. Destroyed infrastructure, health and educational services and facilities. Communities reported significant loss of livestock, crops and small businesses leading to loss of livelihood. Some families remain in camps and have not yet been able to recover.
The floods of 2023 floods and these 2024 floods are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis as part of the country have just emerged from the worst drought in four decades, which has left millions of people hungry. The low or lack of income, high commodity prices, and depleted livelihoods caused by five consecutive dry seasons is expected to continue driving food insecurity in these regions. The drought, coupled with these rains, underscores the climate change challenges that Kenya and other countries in the Horn of Africa region are grappling with.