Deputy President Rigathi will on Thursday meet Cabinet Secretaries, governors and disaster management agencies over the country’s preparedness for El Nino rains.
The meeting will be at the DP's Karen residence.
Those expected to attend the meeting include officials from the Kenya Metrological Department, the National Drought Management Authority, and the Kenya Defence Forces.
Others are the National Police Service, humanitarian agencies like the Red Cross, international organisations and development partners.
Various ministries will also be taking part in the deliberations.
They include the National Treasury due to the financial implications, the Ministry of Water and Sanitation as well as the ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, ASAL, Interior and Health.
Already, the Ministry of Health has formed Emergency Rapid Response Teams in anticipation of the predicted El Nino rains.
The teams, according to the ministry will be key in providing technical assistance and strengthening and supporting counties in the formation of their response teams.
After seven years, Kenya is staring at another El Niño event.
This is after the World Meteorological Organisation on July 5, declared the onset of El Nino.
El Nino occurs on average every two to seven years, and episodes typically last nine to 12 months.
The phenomenon usually brings heavy rains to Kenya, as opposed to La Niña, which brings dry weather.
El Nino conditions are expected to persist up to the October-December 2023 rainfall season and may extend to the November to January season.
The 1997 El Nino rainfall had a devastating impact on agriculture, water resources, transport and communications and health sectors due to its uniqueness, intensity and destructive power.
During that period, several health facilities were physically destroyed while an upsurge of disease epidemics and an increase in morbidity and mortality rates were witnessed.
Water Resources Authority already asked Kenyans to be on the lookout for areas likely to be affected by the expected El Niño rains.
In Nairobi, the Governor Johnson Sakaja-led administration has identified 436 hotspots as areas prone to flooding ahead of the upcoming El Nino rains.
They include Ruai, Mathare Kibera, Njiru, settlements in Mukuru, Waruku in Kileleshwa and along the Nairobi River.
City Hall also noted that close to 200,000 people are at risk of being displaced due to the heavy rains.
