Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has issued an urgent appeal to city residents to brace for heavy flooding and prepare for early evacuations ahead of forecasted El Niño rains expected to begin in October.
Speaking on Sunday, August 30, Sakaja urged families living in flood-vulnerable hotspots to heed official warnings and temporarily relocate to safer grounds before the peak downpours arrive.
“We are going into tough times. The Meteorological Department has announced that there will be an El Niño season starting in October,” Sakaja stated. “If you are asked to temporarily leave a vulnerable area, please do so early and cooperate with the authorities. Do not wait until it is too late”.
The county government has allocated Ksh 2.4 billion toward a comprehensive drainage overhaul and flood-mitigation project, targeting critical road corridors such as Mombasa Road, Chiromo, Kangundo Road, and Thika Road.
County emergency teams have identified high-risk zones across the city’s 17 sub-counties to deploy targeted interventions.
Environmental response teams, including the Green Army and ClimateWorX, are clearing, widening, and unclogging silted waterways, culverts, and storm drains.
Nairobi City County is collaborating with key partners, including the Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), and the National Disaster Management Authority.
Residents in need of immediate assistance or distress reporting can reach city emergency response coordinators via 1199 and 1508.
Sakaja emphasized that public cooperation remains critical to reducing damage. He called on residents to participate in local clean-up initiatives and warned against illegal dumping of waste into drainage channels, which exacerbates urban flash floods.
