Fatal floods show Kenya climate change woes
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – LOSS of lives, livelihoods and property following heavy rains have exposed how climate change is severely affecting Kenya’s weather patterns.
This calls on stakeholders to catalyse action in 2022 to begin managing the floods menace.
“First it is important to try and understand our rainfall pattern,” said Simon Thomas, an international consultant.
A board member of Megapipes Solutions Limited, he pointed out Kenya’s annual rainfall is distributed three-fold.
These include the long rainfall season between March and April, the intermediate season (July and August) and the short rainfall season (October up to December).
“As we are settling into the new year, let 2022 be the year that we finally begin to manage flooding so that we can save lives, livelihoods and property,” Thomas said.
Reading the national budget in June, Treasury cabinet secretary, Ukur Yatani, highlighted that flood mitigation was a key focus in the 2021/2022 fiscal year.
The Ministry allocated Ksh38 billion (US$335,3 million) for water and sewerage infrastructure development, Ksh 16,4 billion for water resources management and Ksh 10,8 billion for water storage and flood control.
The private sector and development agencies are equally committing to contribute in flood mitigation as seen by recent investments such as the Ksh7,5 billion Kajulu Water Treatment Plant in the western Kisumu County.
The project, which also involves the French Development Agency, European Investment Bank and the European Union-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund as partners, will see the construction of 120km of water supply in the city and its environs.
In December, at least 32 people died when a bus was dragged into a flooded river in the eastern Kitui County.
