- Met predicted average daytime temperatures will be more than 30 degrees Celsius in northern Kenya.
- Dr Gikungu said people in Thika will have up to 30 degrees during the day, 38 in Mandera, 34 in Voi and 33 in Mombasa.
Image: FILE
You will likely experience higher temperatures this week, as rainfall reduces across the country, the weatherman says.
Head of the Met department Dr David Gikungu says most parts of the country will remain dry, as rains gradually reduce in places that have been raining.
He made the announcement in a seven-day forecast that ends on Monday.
The long-rains season usually ends in May, when most of Kenya turns cool and dry.
“Rainfall is expected to continue over some parts of the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Rift Valley and the Coast though rainfall amounts are expected to reduce. The rest of the country is likely to be generally dry,” Dr Gikungu said.
The reduced rainfall is key for crop growth because too much water causes the formation of fungus and can cause roots to rot.
Daytime will get warmer across the country.
Met predicted average daytime temperatures will be more than 30 degrees Celsius in northern Kenya.
Dr Gikungu said people in Thika will have up to 30 degrees during the day, 38 in Mandera, 34 in Voi and 33 in Mombasa.
“Comparing the May 8 to 14 and the May 15 to 21 periods, it is noted that day-time temperatures increased throughout the country with only Kitale and Mtwapa recording slight decreases,” he said.
The reduced rainfall is welcome to many farmers who feared the long rains would lengthen due to the El Niño phenomenon.
However, Met department announced the El Niño rains could come in October, when the current crops have already been harvested.
Last week, Dr Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher from Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, said continued rains would have caused water-logging.
He said farmers who planted early would experience more post-harvest losses, unlike farmers who planted late, if the rains continue even during the harvest period.
Njagi said El Niño rains could be good news for farmers who decided to wait for the subsidised fertiliser planted late, unlike those who planted early.
"This is because the crop has matured by now and if it is still raining, then you are likely to lose. But for those who planted late, the El Nino will be a good thing because ordinarily they would have received low yields because the rains will have gone when you really needed them.
"But because it is continuing to rain, it will turn out to be a blessing,” the researcher said.
Njagi said the bigger risk for farmers and the country is flooding, where soils are unable to drain.
“The expected damage will depend on when the intensity is coming. So far, because the crop is still developing, there is no damage and the crop looks very good on the farm," Njagi said.
"But if the intensity continues throughout the season, you will find that by next month, beans will be damaged and will start disappearing."
Beans would be washed out because most pulses are currently in the flowering stage. When there is too much rain during the flowering stage, the crop will not develop or most of them will rot. This will lead to some losses.
“Some long-duration crops like maize are okay okay but things could change around August,” Njagi said.
He urged the national and county governments to avail storage facilities to farmers as most of them do sun-drying as they lack grain driers.
“I urged farmers to also invest in storage to help reduce post-harvest losses. If your grains like maize or beans are mature, you do not have to wait for them to dry in the field. You can harvest them and dry them in a grain drier because if you allow them to dry naturally, they are likely to rot,” he said.