In preparation for the much-awaited El Nino rains, the Nairobi county government is planning to purchase boats and rafts.
Disaster Management and Coordination Chief Officer Bramwel Simiyu on Wednesday said that the administration will be prepared in all ways to face the rains.
"When El Nino happens we must have ambulances, fire engines, boats and inflatable rafts," he said during an interview with NTV
"Boats and inflatable rafts are part of what we are planning as a department even to procure during the next couple of weeks."
The Chief officer further added that the boats will help the team access flooded areas.
He said the county has already mobilised assets to help them intervene when the rains come.
Simiyu said already Nairobi has the manpower to deal with the rains.
Ruai, Mathare and Kibera are among 436 hotspots identified by Nairobi county as areas prone to flooding ahead of the upcoming El Nino rains.
Others include Njiru, settlements in Mukuru, Waruku in Kileleshwa and along the Nairobi River.
The county government said it would take the initiative to sensitise the population residing in the mentioned areas about the appropriate measures said to be taken during flooding.
Already, City Hall has recruited 3,500 youths to form the Green Nairobi team.
Their mandate is to unclog and clean drainages, as well as collect garbage to maintain the cleanliness of the city.
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 Niño.
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 Nina, 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.