The recent floods in Kenya are a reminder that the need for investment in climate resilience across the globe is becoming more urgent with every passing year. The death toll from the floods has now reached 110. And if anyone is unclear on whether this is climate-related, just remember that these floods came at a time when other parts of the country had an ongoing drought.

Countries and regions most at risk from climate change face unpredictable and more extreme weather patterns and events. In Kenya, temperatures have been observed to have risen by 1°C since the 1960s at an estimated average of 0.21°C per decade. According to the World Bank, this rise is only going to accelerate, with an additional 1.7°C added to average temperatures by 2050 and an estimated 3.5°C added by the end of the century.

From the Climate Risk Country Profile: Kenya by World Bank (2021).

Eighty percent of the total land area in Kenya has been termed Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), which means the country already has a stressed water supply for its 58 million+ inhabitants. The increased incidence of droughts has also taken a toll on an already-scarce national water supply. The city of Mombasa, for instance, only possesses half of the water needed to meet its citizen’s needs. With increasingly unpredictable rain patterns and prolonged and more frequent dry seasons, this problem gets worse with every passing year.

Climate change is a global issue and it must be countered cooperatively. Those hit hardest must be helped by all others, especially states that have been mostly insulated from the dangers of climate change. Kenya’s journey toward climate resilience cannot be taken alone. In immediate terms, this means greater financial and reconstruction support in the aftermath of disasters such as the recent floods.

For the medium to long term, this entails improving water storage capacity and increasing flood resilience of both urban and rural communities. A lot of the existing material on adaptation in Kenya refers to reducing carbon emissions, financing, or even investing more in green energy. But Kenya’s effective use of geothermal, hydro and wind power tells us that the conversation needs to move past this. 

For floods, the solutions exist; they just need to be implemented. National risk mapping, improved flood and weather forecasting alongside public communication before disaster strikes are just some mitigation steps policymakers can take to avoid the loss of lives on such a scale. Communities and homes in Kenya need to be insulated against floods, whether that means higher embankments in flood-prone areas or flood control channels to keep water away from urban spaces. 

In the longer term, the Kenyan government should also be given financial assistance to relocate communities that are at yearly risk from potential devastation. As the world comes to terms with the changing climate, we must realise that places that were once fit for human habitation might no longer be.

The world around us is changing and policymakers have already dropped the ball on solving the climate change issue. At the very least, we can start being more proactive about countering its devastating effects.