Kisumu health facilities put on alert amid fears of flash floods

Kisumu’s health system is on high alert as the county prepares for possible severe flooding during the October-November-December (OND) 2026 rainy season.

Kisumu County Director of Public Health and Sanitation Fredrick Oluoch said the county has intensified disaster preparedness through training of disaster management teams and strengthening early warning systems to ensure communities are alerted before flooding occurs.

“We are a disaster risk team, and we have been undergoing training. Even last week, there was training for the directors’ level, disaster health and different departments. We are looking at disaster risk management and mitigation that could happen following the floods,” Dr Oluoch said.

He said the county was concentrating on early warning signs and community sensitisation so that residents in flood-prone areas can move to higher ground before the situation becomes dangerous.

“We are looking at early warning signs and sensitising the community on the possibility of flooding. This is to make them aware early enough so that they can move to higher ground because there are areas where there is nothing you can do. The flooding will happen,” he said.

Dr Oluoch said government projects, particularly in Kabonyo Kanyagwal, were expected to reduce the impact of flooding, but communities still needed to be prepared for possible displacement.

“We know that the government has been implementing projects, especially in Kabonyo Kanyagwal, and with that project somehow the impact will be reduced, but still we continue sensitising the public on the impending rains and possible flooding,” he said.

Beyond displacement and damage to homes and infrastructure, Dr Oluoch said the health risks associated with flooding remained a major concern because floodwaters can destroy toilets and latrines and contaminate water sources.

“There is also the aspect of disease outbreaks following flooding because we know when there is flooding, there is destruction of toilets and latrines and, of course, contamination of water sources,” he said.

He said flooding could also worsen food insecurity and malnutrition if food stocks are destroyed.

“There are also issues of malnutrition due to flooding because of the destruction of food items, bringing about food insecurity as well. So these are some of the things we are looking at,” Dr Oluoch said.

The county is particularly concerned about waterborne diseases and vector-borne infections such as malaria, which could increase as stagnant water creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“Some of the possible diseases are related to contamination, and there are also vector-related diseases like malaria because of the multiplication or growth of malaria vectors like mosquitoes,” he said.

To prevent a possible increase in cases, Dr Oluoch said the county was preparing mosquito-treated nets and mobilising malaria drugs and other medical supplies.

“We have to notify them early enough and, as a county, we are also preparing and putting in place possible mechanisms and preventive measures like having mosquito-treated nets. We are also mobilising for malaria drugs and other diseases so that when this happens, we can manage the condition,” he said.

The preparedness measures are being implemented from the county level to the sub-county and community levels, with village elders, community health promoters and other government structures being used to sensitise residents.

Dr Oluoch said the county was also working with different partners under a multi-stakeholder approach to strengthen its response to the anticipated disaster.

A key component of the preparedness plan is the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to identify areas at risk and guide early action.

“The county has a GIS centre. This geographic information centre helps us in mapping possible areas of flooding. We have already shared maps of possible areas of flooding and mitigation measures that we can put in place, including early warning signs and educating and sensitising the public on the same,” he said.

Some health facilities in flood-prone areas have previously been cut off by floodwaters, raising concerns about whether patients can continue accessing services and whether medicines and other medical supplies can reach the facilities when roads become impassable.

Dr Oluoch said parts of Kabonyo Kanyagwal have previously experienced such challenges, with facilities including Ambo Health Centre becoming surrounded by floodwaters.

“There are areas which are prone to flooding like in Kabonyo Kanyagwal. Ambo Health Centre and some of the health facilities normally get marooned in water during flooding,” he said.

In such cases, the county establishes temporary treatment centres within displacement camps, mainly in schools and other facilities located on higher ground.

“In these areas, normally there are camps, makeshift camps that are in schools and areas where we can easily reach. We normally organise outreach, medical outreach and medical camps in this area,” Dr Oluoch said.

“We establish treatment centres within the schools or where we have the camps. We have the displacement camps, so we establish medical treatment centres within the displacement camps,” he added.

He said medicines and other health commodities are transported to the temporary treatment centres together with food and non-food items to ensure displaced residents continue receiving essential services.

The county’s disaster plans also seek to address the needs of vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, elderly people and those living with chronic illnesses.

Dr Oluoch said the location and arrangement of displacement centres takes into account accessibility, sanitation and the ability of vulnerable residents to reach essential services.

“When we come up with these displacement camps, we ensure that there is access to roads and facilities within displacement camps. We take into consideration the under-fives, the vulnerable population, pregnant women and, of course, persons with disabilities,” he said.

The county also provides sanitation facilities, handwashing points and mobile toilets in the camps, while food and other essential items are distributed.

Dr Oluoch said lessons from previous flooding disasters had helped the county strengthen its response mechanisms.

“In the previous disaster, we did well because we reached out to almost everybody who was displaced. This is something that we have been doing year in, year out when there is flooding, and we have always had success,” he said.

He said residents have previously remained in displacement camps until floodwaters receded and conditions became safe for them to return home.

However, with the possibility of unusually heavy rainfall, he said the county was preparing for a situation that could be more severe than previous flooding events.

“We are expecting with El Niño that we are going to have the worst, so our preparation is to make sure that we can reach as many displaced populations as possible. We also expect to meet the vulnerable population, including young children and pregnant mothers,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior research scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Dr Joseph Nyaundi said communities living along the Nyando River and other low-lying areas could face significant disruption if water levels rise.

He said areas on both the upper and lower sides of the Nyando River could be affected, with flooding likely to displace residents, disrupt transport and expose communities to disease.

“The El Niño will, of course, be very detrimental because this will cause flooding. Even in upper areas, we may have drainage systems which will overflow into homes. People will be displaced and it will cause people to be evacuated from their homes,” Dr Nyaundi said.

He said flooding could also disrupt people's travel plans as rivers and roads become impassable, forcing residents to wait for water levels to subside before movement resumes.

“People may not travel because of the fact that they will be flooded, rivers will overflow. You know that even the rivers overflow here, and people wait for the river level to subside, and that will affect their travelling programmes,” he said.

Dr Nyaundi said the increase in water levels could also create conditions for waterborne diseases to spread, particularly where floodwaters contaminate household and community water sources.

“And this water, when you are in the river, we also have diseases that come up. There is an increase of waterborne diseases because of the fact that we will have more water, and some of it will remain stagnant for mosquitoes to breed,” he said.

He warned that the county could also see increased malaria cases during and after the rainy period because of increased mosquito breeding.

“We are likely to have high levels of mosquitoes breeding, and malaria will be experienced maybe even after El Niño. So, we are likely to have high incidences of malaria,” he said.

Dr Nyaundi urged health workers to prepare for a possible rise in disease cases before and during the rains.

“We need to prepare adequately. We sensitise our health personnel to prepare so that even after El Niño or during El Niño, we have those emerging diseases at high levels,” he said.

Despite the risks, Dr Nyaundi noted that increased water levels in Lake Victoria could have some ecological benefits, particularly by expanding fish breeding areas along the shoreline.

He explained that shoreline vegetation such as papyrus and other aquatic plants provides breeding grounds for fish, with fish using the shallow shoreline areas before moving into the lake as they mature.

However, he said the possible ecological benefits should not overshadow the serious risks flooding poses to communities, infrastructure and health services.

Kisumu has been identified by government authorities and meteorologists as a high-risk urban and Lake Basin hotspot for potential severe flooding during the OND 2026 short rains, with low-lying residential and informal areas such as Nyamasaria, Dunga, Namthoya and areas around the Auji and Nyando rivers among locations requiring close monitoring.

The county government is using GIS technology to map vulnerable flood zones, support early warning systems and track areas where intervention may be required.

Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation Dr Gregory Ganda said the county’s health system was capable of responding to emergencies but warned that flooding could create additional pressure on shelters and emergency services.

“We have a very resilient health system. That means that we have an emergency operations centre with several ambulances, and they are always deployed whenever somebody calls the call line,” Dr Ganda said.

He said flooding could result in displacement, drowning and an increase in communicable diseases as sanitation systems become overwhelmed.

“We expect that during the floods there is going to be displacement of people. A few people might be directly affected, some people might drown, and some people will be displaced. But then there are also issues of communicable diseases because toilets will get flooded, so you have problems with sanitation,” he said.

He warned that contaminated water could trigger outbreaks such as cholera, while people living in displacement camps could face other social and protection risks.

“Girls and teenagers are likely to be exposed to gender-based violence,” Dr Ganda said.

He said the GIS laboratory had already mapped flood hotspots and that plans were being made to evacuate residents from high-risk areas to safe houses and shelters before floodwaters reach their homes.

“The GIS lab in Kisumu has already mapped out the hotspots where it is likely to flood. The county commissioner is supposed to arrange for evacuation of these people to safe houses. There are some houses or shelters which have already been done before, and every time there is flooding, they are used,” he said.

Dr Ganda said early evacuation would be important to avoid a situation where residents are forced to flee after their homes have already been surrounded by water.

“We are just hoping that this time we do it earlier so that people have a place to move to before the houses get flooded,” he said.

Once residents are in shelters, health teams will provide outreach services, including treatment, distribution of mosquito nets and provision of chlorine to make water safer.

“We have outreach services from our facilities. We usually give them bed nets, we have chlorine for making water habitable, and we offer outreach treatment for them,” he said.

Dr Ganda said the health department works closely with the national government disaster preparedness team in a multi-agency response coordinated under the county commissioner.

Kisumu has about 20 ambulances that can be deployed to different locations depending on the emergency.

On medicine stocks, Dr Ganda said most health facilities were currently adequately supplied and would continue treating residents affected by flooding.

“Most of our facilities right now don't have problems in terms of supplies. They will be treating the people and getting reimbursed, which allows them to get more,” he said.

He said residents in flood-prone areas would also be able to access primary healthcare services, with facilities reimbursed for the treatment and medicines provided.

While Dr Ganda does not expect the county’s main hospitals to be overwhelmed by patients, he said the greatest pressure could be felt in safe houses and temporary shelters if the flooding is widespread.

“I don't think the hospitals will be overwhelmed. I think the safe houses will get overwhelmed, and that is something that the county commissioner needs to take care of,” he said.