Attachments
Background
The Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) counties in Northern Kenya, who are emerging from four consecutive drought seasons are now grappling with the disastrous impact of heavy rainfalls and flash floods as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon. Severe floods are exacerbating vulnerability and destroying livelihoods that had been gradually recovering from the prolonged drought shocks that ended last month.
Rainfall has continued to intensify across the country, with the Northeastern areas, including Garissa, Mandera, Wajir and Tana River counties, being the most affected to date according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) updates. The enhanced rains have led not only to infrastructural damage but also to deaths and displacements of communities. According to OCHA's November 19 estimate, 136,025 people (27,205 households) have been displaced so far in Kenya due to flooding, predominantly within the ASAL counties. The number is expected to rise further as El Nino enters its peak,which was forecastedbetween October and December 2023.
Acted has been actively providing multi-purpose cash assistance to communities affected by droughts. To enhance and coordinate responses and mitigation measures to the ongoing heavy rains in the northern Kenya region, Acted conducted a rapid needs assessment to understand the current impacts of the ongoing flash floods and the needs among the affected communities in the ASAL counties of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Marsabit, and Samburu.