Mandera County has stepped up preparations for heavy rains expected between October and December, with authorities warning that the rainfall could be as intense as the 1997 El Niño rains.
The Director of the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), Colonel (Rtd) David Samoei, is in Mandera to assess the county’s preparedness and coordinate measures to mitigate the potential impact of the rains.
Samoei has urged residents living in flood-prone areas to move to safer locations before the rains intensify.
“We ask the citizens to prepare themselves by moving away from areas where floodwaters will pass so they are not swept away by the water,” Samoei said.
The expected rains could also disrupt transport, particularly along the Mandera–Wajir–Garissa–Isiolo road, which could become impassable due to flooding. Such disruptions could affect the movement of food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies.
Business operators in Mandera have therefore been urged to stock essential food and other supplies early, before roads become difficult to use.
Authorities are also assessing the potential impact on fuel and electricity supplies if heavy rains disrupt transportation. Mandera town consumes approximately 15,000 litres of fuel every day, equivalent to about 450,000 litres per month.
The county currently has storage capacity of about 200,000 litres, while another facility with a capacity of 500,000 litres is under development.
The national government has started pre-positioning food and medical supplies, while the Mandera County Government is also preparing medicines and other emergency response supplies.
The county has further appealed for additional support, including food rations, non-food items and veterinary drugs for vulnerable households and pastoralist communities.
Samoei has stressed the need for residents to take the rainfall forecast seriously, noting that early preparation will be critical in reducing the impact on communities, livestock, roads and essential services.
Mandera has also adopted a Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) process to help communities and authorities plan early for possible impacts and coordinate preparedness and response measures.
