Sakaja unveils specialized teams to prepare Nairobi for El Niño floods

Nairobi County has established five specialized multi-agency teams to oversee preparations for anticipated El Niño heavy rains. The administration led by Governor Johnson Sakaja is escalating drainage expansion works, targeting high-risk areas across the capital to limit potential structural damage.

The technical and emergency units draw representatives from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), the Kenya Red Cross, and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Representatives from the Nairobi County Disaster Management Team, the Environment Department, and the Nairobi Rivers Commission are also integrated into the operational structure.

City officials have allocated KSh2.4 billion toward the broader flood resilience effort. Out of this sum, KSh2 billion is designated specifically for drainage overhauls along 19 flood-prone roads, where contractors are expected to begin site operations.

The technical teams have mapped out 227 flood hotspots spanning all 17 sub-counties. Identified locations include undersized stormwater channels, points requiring immediate desilting, obstructed river corridors, and vulnerable transport corridors that risk isolation during heavy downpours.

To organize execution, the county grouped operations into five dedicated sub-committees. These comprise Infrastructure and Drainage, Emergency Response and Evacuation, Shelter and Relief, Security and Traffic, and Communication.

The Infrastructure and Drainage unit holds responsibility for clearing waterways, opening constricted conduits, and upgrading existing civil drainage structures.

The current engineering interventions complement existing infrastructure projects under the ongoing Nairobi Regeneration Programme.

Field teams are deploying earth-moving machinery, specialized personnel, and desilting equipment to extract accumulated waste and sediment from main channels before the rainfall intensifies.

Governor Sakaja stated that bringing national and local entities together removes jurisdictional overlaps when opening critical channels.

County personnel will also collaborate with neighborhood associations in high-risk zones to communicate early warnings and clear civil access points.