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By Jane Meza
Mombasa, Kenya: Across vulnerable Mombasa neighbourhoods including Bamburi Kwa Bulo, Mwembelegeza, Bamburi Kisauni, Mwatamba, Palestina, Mshomoroni, and Ziwa la Ng’ombe residents expressed mounting anxiety over upcoming October El Niño rains.
Brief downpours over the past fortnight have already overwhelmed local drainage infrastructure, inundating roads and disrupting access to basic services, business operations, and homes.
The community worry that escalated rainfall could trigger severe flooding and widespread damage. A resident from Maweni highlighted the heightened vulnerability of low-income households and urged officials to ensure equitable distribution of disaster management resources alongside robust advance preparations.
“Some people sleep on the floor because they cannot afford a bed. If the house floods while they are away, everything they own could be destroyed,” said a resident from Maweni who called for fair use of disaster funds and stronger preparedness.
For Emily Mlama, a vegetable vendor, the concern extends beyond property damage. “Even when it rains a little, roads here flood and water comes into our homes. This increases the chances of getting malaria, dengue fever and Chikungunya,” she said. “If the rain becomes heavier, movement will become even more difficult. We can’t go to the market and children can’t go to school either.”
The concerns come as Mombasa prepares for above normal rainfall during the October-December season. The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned of enhanced rainfall and high temperatures along the Coast, while Mombasa has been identified among urban areas at high risk of flooding.
A city testing its preparedness
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir says the county is moving from reacting to disasters to preparing before they occur. “We are fully prepared to respond to potential El Niño-linked disasters such as flooding, storm surges, coastal erosion along the shoreline and infrastructure damage,” Nassir said.
The county has begun clearing drainage channels, desilting manholes and mapping flood hotspots across its 30 wards. It is also preparing ward-level evacuation plans, shelters, rescue equipment and emergency supplies.
The county says 300 officers from county and national agencies have already taken part in rescue, marine safety, casualty management and emergency response exercises.
Recent rainfall has also provided an early test of the drainage system. Governor Nassir said the county used the downpour to identify weaknesses before the anticipated El Niño rains, which he said are expected from October. The county has also announced restrictions on roadside construction activities to prevent building materials from being washed into drains.
Arnold Junguna, a car owner, says residents want the preparations to reach neighbourhoods that repeatedly flood. “We need the county government to increase interventions and the national government to support efforts to address flooding. El Niño is like Covid-19; it doesn’t choose whether you are driving or a pedestrian. It will affect all,” he said.
One of the challenges is infrastructure built close to or over drainage channels. County authorities say such structures can obstruct the natural movement of storm water. Chiefs have also been instructed to engage residents and warn against dumping waste into drainage channels.
According to Mombasa County Chief Officer for Transport Ali Shariff, the county also plans to use local administration structures to sensitise residents about flood risks and possible interventions.
“We will hold meetings through the local administration to ensure residents are sensitised about these developments,” said Shariff.
He said residents would be given notice where interventions require demolition or redesigning of structures, while engineers assess possible routes for storm-water drainage. “There are developments that have been constructed on top of culverts and, as a result, they have blocked the natural flow of storm water,” Shariff said.
Schools face another disruption
For children, flooding can mean missed lessons, unsafe routes to school and damaged learning facilities.
The Ministry of Education has activated preparations to protect learners, teachers and schools while ensuring national examinations continue during the rainy season. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has directed schools to strengthen disaster preparedness in collaboration with the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Mombasa’s Department of Education and Vocational Training is headed by CECM Mbwarali Kame, whose department oversees education and vocational training in the county.
For children in low-lying neighbourhoods, however, preparedness on paper must translate into safe roads, functioning sanitation facilities and accessible schools when heavy rains arrive.
Health risks may continue after the floods
The Ministry of Health has activated an El Niño contingency plan covering all 47 counties. Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni Muriuki has warned that flooding can contaminate water sources and increase mosquito breeding, raising the risk of cholera, typhoid, diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, dengue fever and Rift Valley fever.
Muthoni has called for stronger disease surveillance, protection of water sources and timely access to treatment, particularly in urban centres such as Mombasa where flooding can lead to water contamination, sewage leakages and poor sanitation.
Mombasa’s health department, led by CECM Dr. Sabah Ahmed Omar, is responsible for public health and disease prevention alongside other health services. For residents such as Mlama, these risks are already visible. “If the rain becomes heavier, movement will become even more difficult,” she said.
Waiting for action before the water rises
Mombasa’s experience during the 2023 El Niño rains, when nearly 3,900 households were affected, remains a warning for authorities. The county says this time it wants to act earlier through drainage clearance, flood mapping, evacuation planning and multi-agency response.
But residents say preparedness will only matter if it reaches the places that flood repeatedly.
For families living in low-lying neighbourhoods, a blocked drain can mean a flooded home. For children, it can mean a missed school day. For health workers, it can mean preparing for disease outbreaks after contaminated water spreads through communities.
As the heavier rains approach, Mombasa is therefore facing a test that goes beyond whether the city can drain the water. It is whether warnings issued today can translate into action before floodwater reaches people’s homes, schools and health facilities.
