Sakaja, residents’ associations strengthen El Niño response to take preparedness to doorsteps

Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson and the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations ( KARA ) have agreed to take El Niño preparedness and flood-mitigation efforts closer to households and neighbourhoods.

Speaking during a meeting with the KARA Governing Council led by CEO Henry Ochieng at City Hall on Wednesday, Sakaja said residents’ associations must be fully integrated into the County’s preparedness efforts.

“We need the residents’ associations to be able to address the El Niño intervention works being undertaken fully and with impact, including the measures we have taken so far, from communicating emergency numbers and the role of residents to urging those in riparian areas to move to safer areas,” Sakaja said.

The strengthened coordination will provide a more structured link between the County’s multi-agency response teams and residents’ associations, with KARA expected to mobilise communities in flood-risk areas, disseminate early warnings, organise neighbourhood clean-ups and help identify vulnerable households.

The County has mapped 227 potential flood hotspots across Nairobi ahead of the October–December rains, with the mapping being used to guide preparedness and mitigation interventions.

Sakaja said the meeting was also intended to update residents’ representatives on works completed and ongoing, evacuation measures in high-risk riparian areas and the channels available for reporting emergencies.

He called on residents to play their part by disposing of garbage properly, avoiding littering and reporting areas requiring intervention so that multi-agency teams can respond.

As part of the enhanced coordination, the Nairobi City County Government will share the 227-hotspot map and associated risk data with residents’ association coordinators.

The County will also formalise KARA’s residents’ association and neighbourhood network as a community-preparedness partner, while briefing and training coordinators on evacuation procedures and hazard recognition.

The two sides will further align County drainage and evacuation plans with neighbourhood-level mobilisation, with the County expected to designate a Disaster Management focal point to coordinate the collaboration.

KARA will mobilise its residents’ association and neighbourhood network across flood-hotspot areas, with residents’ associations expected to cascade early-warning and preparedness information to households, organise community clean-up and drainage-clearing activities, identify vulnerable households ahead of the rains and report emerging risks.

KARA will also provide a coordinated channel for incident reporting and participate in a post-season review with the County.

KARA CEO Henry Ochieng said the strengthened collaboration would enable residents to better understand what they need to do before and during the rains.

“Early warnings being given are very important. We are also going to communicate what each household needs to do and participate in cleaning where they need to,” Ochieng said.

He said KARA would also communicate information on identified flood-risk areas and organise meetings with communities to address specific needs in different neighbourhoods.

“We shall also communicate to the residents that we shall have meetings with various communities so that we all come together and help address the needs of each place,” he said.

The enhanced community mobilisation will run through the rainy season, with KARA coordinators expected to undertake household sensitisation, community clean-ups and drainage-clearing exercises while supporting the cascade of early warnings, incident reporting and liaison with evacuation centres.

Sakaja also emphasised the importance of residents in high-risk riparian areas moving to safer locations before flooding occurs.

The Governor said some residents had already begun moving voluntarily after understanding that the evacuation exercise was intended to protect their lives.

“The agenda is to make sure that people don’t lose lives when we can avoid it,” Sakaja said.

The County has been intensifying drainage clearance, desilting and other flood-mitigation works while directing multi-agency teams to prioritise identified hotspots. Sakaja has also directed the evacuation of residents in high-risk riparian areas as part of the wider preparedness operation.

The strengthened KARA collaboration adds a deeper community-level layer to the County’s existing multi-agency response, with residents’ associations serving as the link between official warnings, County interventions and action within individual neighbourhoods.