Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has unveiled a plan to prepare for the El Nino rains predicted by the Kenya Meteorological Department.
Kenya Met forecasts heavy rains in many parts of Kenya from September 2023 to January 2024.
In preparation for the rains, the Nairobi County government has put in place a Marshal plan to ensure the safety of city residents during the heavy downpour.
“The first and most important measure is the cleaning and draining of our drainages to avoid flooding. The recruitment of 3,500 environmental officers to clean and unclog the drainages goes a long way to ensure our preparedness for the El Nino rains,” Sakaja said while unveiling the County’s plan on Monday.
Furthermore, the governor stated that he has asked the construction sector’s directorate to map out unsafe buildings where residents will be evacuated before the flooding begins.
“We will identify buildings that pose a flooding threat and we will act accordingly, without fear or favour,” he said.
Another step that the county government is taking is to establish an emergency number for residents to call in El Nino emergencies. The number will be revealed later.
“We’ve bought 27 new work trucks, fire trucks, flushing units, ambulances, excavators and exhausters,” Sakaja said.
The County government has also committed to reducing ambulance response time to 9 minutes.
