They included taking early warnings seriously, investing in water harnessing infrastructure, and mobilising help from development partners in time.
Taking lessons to heart would have made for a more effective response to the ongoing massive floods that so far have claimed more than 200 lives. Many lives could have been saved.
After the 1997-98 El Nino rains, the UN developed a standard playbook for governments around the globe. They were urged to consider this when the seasons of destructive rains approach.
The report assessed the damage of the devastating floods and mapped the way forward. It recommended that states invest in early warning systems and climate monitoring infrastructure.
It said irregular massive rains would be the norm, and not the exception in the future.
The report recommended development of shelter-in-place infrastructure to protect people displaced by the waters, reinforcing the disaster response kitty, mobilising first-responder teams and donors to be on standby.
It called for moving people in fragile environments, such as riparian reserves, to safety well in advance.
The UN guidebook also recommended “construction of sheltering-in-place infrastructure to deal with anticipated displacement of population, activating early alerting systems so people in plains [flat] areas be ready to be evacuated to higher grounds.
It said expansion of healthcare infrastructures to deal with the disease burden that comes with weather event is an imperative contingency measure.
Also, reinforcing water reservoirs and harvesting infrastructure is vital to harvest the excess water to help in irrigated farming and water consumption in the future for a country that suffers severe droughts regularly.
Further, mobilisation of the donor community to be on standby is essential because in the 1997-98 case, the development partners became “monumentally vital” in responding to the crisis and saving lives.
For example, at the time, the US gave $900,000 and the UK gave $600,000 towards the rescue and response efforts, among other donors.
But perhaps most indicative of the problem in the current state response to the floods is its lack of faith in the science of weather prediction. The Met at some point was forced to apologise for forecasting the late 2023 El Nino rains.
At the time, while the weatherman was clear that El Nino was imminent, President William Ruto told a gathering the phenomenon would not happen.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had to force Met boss David Gakungu to apologise “to clear the confusion”.
The information from the President and Met confused Kenyans on whether there will be an El Nino or not.
In a press event presided over by Gachagua and at his prodding, Gikungu apologised for miscommunication that confused Kenyans.
The bone of contention was that the Met said El Nino would happen in the 2023 short rains. The government wanted it explained that the short rains would take place but enhanced rains would be fall in the first quarter of 2024.
"I want to point out that as initially given in the forecast, we have El Nino in these short rains season 2023, and we do apologise for the miscommunication, because that was a big mistake but we are sorry about that," he said.
"Moving forward let us prepare ourselves for the enhanced rainfall as a result of the El Nino phenomenon that we are in."
On removing settlements from riparian reserves and creating safe distances from water bodies and lands prone to mudslides, the administration of then-President Uhuru Kenyatta attempted to force settlements to move away.
The operation saw houses reduced to rubble and business installations, including petrol stations, demolished to forestall the kind of emergencies currently being witnessed.
But politics muddied the water, as the campaign was scandalised in public as a drive to target political players not attuned to government policy.
When the change of political guard happened, most of the land that had been cleared are now construction sites. For example, the petrol station by the bank of the river near the Nairobi arboretum as well as adjacent business that were mowed down have been restored and are operating.
Also, experts blame weak local administration in enforcing some laws that would have reinforced evacuation orders and ensured people do not live too close to water bodies, in low-lying areas or in areas prone to mudslides.
For example, the repealed Chiefs Act empowered local administrators to strictly enforce adherence to safety guidelines, public provisions and policy pronouncements by national government officials.
“Chiefs would be vital at these times in ensuring they monitor the rains and floods and report to national disaster centre,” Patrick Mutuku a disaster response and governance expert, said
“They would also be raising the alarm early to the public to move or take precautions to save lives. I think the current problem is that national government give edicts and no one implements them well or at all.”
The current problem is the national government gives edicts and no one implements them well or at all, Mutuku said.
