Sh3bn needed for El Nio preparedness in health docket
National
By
Mercy Kahenda
| Aug 26, 2026
The Ministry of Health has stepped up preparedness measures ahead of the El Niño rains, warning of an increased risk of disease outbreaks, injuries, displacement and malnutrition in flood-prone areas.
Director of Public Health Dr Stephen Muleshe said the country had activated a multi-sectoral El Niño taskforce bringing together the Ministry of Health, Environment, Water, Interior, development partners and civil society organisations to coordinate prevention, preparedness and response.
“We have developed a continuous plan for the El Niño rains, and the plan lays out clearly some of the strategies and interventions that we need to take,” said Muleche.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard, the official said financing remained a critical component of the preparedness plan, with the ministry working with the National Treasury and partners to mobilise resources for health commodities, training of healthcare workers and other emergency response needs.
Muleche said an estimate of Sh3 billion is required for El Niño preparedness across the 47 counties, with counties expected to work closely with the national government.
“Preparedness is good. We have been having weekly meetings to be able to plan well. We have also received the highest political support to ensure the Ministry of Health is adequately prepared,” said Dr Muleshe.
At the national level, policies and contingency plans have been developed, while counties have been directed to replicate the plans, establish emergency response teams, prepare health workers and ensure health facilities are ready to respond to emergencies.
Muleshe highlighted that the El Niño rains are expected to increase the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, as well as malaria.
Flooding could also result in injuries, displacement and disruption of access to food and clean water, raising the risk of malnutrition.
Kenya Meteorological Department announced that the expected El Niño will have worse impacts, as compared to what was witnessed in 1997.
The 1997 El Niño reported rains that lasted for about 10 continuous months, from May to February 1998.
During the El Niño rains, Central was among the worst-hit regions, where people lost lives and livelihoods, with cholera, malaria, and Rift Valley fever.
Though 1997 is reported to have been the worst El Niño, Kenya experienced El Niño rains in 2006 and 2015.
El Niño increases the risk of vector-borne, water-borne, and respiratory diseases by altering weather, temperature, and rainfall patterns.
According to the World Health Organisation and public health data, key diseases linked to El Niño include Vector-Borne Diseases, for example malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya and Rift Valley Fever.
Waterborne diseases, namely cholera, typhoid and Diarrhoeal Illnesses, are also reported, including other health risks like respiratory Infections and malnutrition.
Muleshe identified parts of North Eastern and the Rift Valley, as well as Nairobi because of its urban setting, among areas requiring heightened preparedness.
Counties of Wajir, Marsabit, Garissa and Isiolo are among the high-risk counties in North Eastern, while Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo are considered high-risk areas in the Rift Valley.
Other counties, including Kericho, Kisumu, Bomet, Kisii, Nyamira and Migori, are also being closely monitored because of previous cholera cases.
The ministry is also preparing for a possible rise in malaria cases following increased mosquito breeding associated with heavy rains.
Further, the official said mass distribution of mosquito nets was ongoing as part of the ministry's annual malaria prevention programme, while efforts were also being made to ensure health facilities had adequate medicines for both prevention and treatment.
Healthcare workers are being trained to identify disease symptoms early, while Community Health Promoters (CHPs) are expected to play a key role in detecting illnesses at household level.
“CHPs play a big role because they are the first contact with the households. As they visit families, they may find people having fever and vomiting, which are signs that may point to malaria, and they have been taught to identify these diseases,” emphasised Muleshe.
Additionally, he said closer collaboration between communities and health facilities would help ensure patients are referred and treated promptly.
The ministry is also urging the public to take precautions, including washing hands with soap and water, drinking clean water and reporting suspected disease outbreaks or other emergencies to authorities. Water purification supplies are also being distributed to affected communities.
At the same time, partners supporting the Government's climate and health agenda have called for stronger community preparedness as the country braces for the effects of El Niño rains and a changing climate.
Nickson Otieno, architect and sustainability expert at Niko Green, said the increasing severity of climate events required the country to strengthen early warning systems and ensure communities receive timely information.
“As we are expecting more and more rains, there is a need to strengthen science, be able to predict and also to provide early warning for communities for the people to be well prepared,” said Otieno.
He said Kenya's network of CHPs provided an important channel for delivering climate and health information to households and ensuring communities were not caught unaware.
According to Otieno, there is a need for greater investment in community and household capacity to cope with extreme weather events.
“We need to build the capacity of communities and families to have systems for them to survive during the rains,” added Otieno.
The changing climate, he warned, could bring more intense flooding, including in urban areas, as well as extreme temperatures and heatwaves that could have direct health consequences.
People working outdoors would be particularly exposed to heat stress and dehydration, he said, and would need to take measures such as regular hydration and monitoring for heat-related conditions.
Otieno also pointed to other potential hazards, including wildfires and strong waves along the Coast.
The health burden could also increase, with cholera and other waterborne diseases becoming more likely following flooding and contamination of water sources. Malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya are also a concern as changing climatic conditions alter the distribution and survival of disease-carrying vectors.
“Climate change is not a fictitious issue but affects daily livelihoods. For instance, we either have water to drink, or have water that is not clean to drink,” he said.
He urged households, institutions and government agencies to take preventive measures, saying preparedness required action at both individual and institutional levels.
Otieno said Kenya had already mapped areas considered climate and health hotspots, with information from the Kenya Meteorological Department helping the Ministry of Health and other agencies identify areas requiring targeted interventions.
However, he said preparedness should go beyond national plans and extend to local administration, communities and health workers.
“This is continuous work in progress. Local administration, chiefs and CHPs should be sensitised more,” he said.
He noted that even where communities and health facilities were prepared, inaccessible roads during flooding could prevent people from reaching essential services, underscoring the need for a whole-system approach to El Niño preparedness.
More public sensitisation, he said, would help communities understand the risks and take preventive measures before disasters occur.
“We cannot control El Niño, but we can actually control how El Niño affects us,” said Otieno.