Heavy rains and flash floods induced by El Niño are plaguing Kenya.
The atmospheric phenomena caused the deaths of over 200 people, in addition to 164 injured, 72 people missing, 194,000 displaced and almost 205,000 affected, in 36 of the 47 counties of the country. On April 29, a dam in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, collapsed in the morning, killing 45 people and affecting many others, with authorities engaged in search and rescue operations. The impact is also strong on activities, from the loss of livestock to damage to cultivated land, with more than 600 small businesses affected, 39 schools closed and roads blocked.
Areas affected by floods are at great risk of spreading epidemics of diseases borne by water and other vectors.
Furthermore, most of the country is forecast to be hit by further rainfall, with the risk of flooding in low-lying areas, floodplains and urban areas with poor drainage, raising the possibility of landslides.
In response to these events, the United Nations announced the allocation of 3 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the central fund for the response to emergencies of the United Nations – also supported by Italy. This CERF allocation aims to offer support to approximately 150,000 people who were affected by the described floods.
Since its establishment, Italian Cooperation has invested in CERF according to the annual budget availability from the portion dedicated to humanitarian aid. In light of growing global humanitarian needs, since 2016, Italian support to the United Nations fund has been steadily increasing. In 2022, Italy reached (for the first time since the establishment of CERF) 9th place among the Fund’s donors, with over 17 million dollars. In 2023, the disbursement of 15 million euros allowed to position itself in the group of the main 10 donors of the Fund which currently sees the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Canada, USA, Belgium and Italy.