Deputy president Kithure Kindiki has called on residents in highly seismic-risk and landslide-prone areas in Murang’a to heed climate advisories and relocate to safer grounds ahead of the anticipated El Niño rains.
Speaking in Mbombo Maragua, Murang’a County, during a public sensitization event, the DP assured residents living in high-risk areas that the government will secure safer places for settlement until the rains subside.
This, he said, will prevent calamity and loss of life even as efforts are made to mitigate the effects of the expected heavy rains.
“For our safety, we must respect the climate advisories issued to safeguard lives and prevent the loss of lives.”
“The government will provide temporary shelter to support those affected until the rains subside,” he said.
This comes as the country gets on high alert for the heavy, above-average rains (El Niño) expected during the October-December 2026 short rains.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecasted heavy rainfall across roughly 80 percent of the country through the end of 2026.
Globally, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that El Niño will be exceptionally strong and will result in global impacts like crop failure, food prices going up, and economic disruption, as well as energy, transport, and water resources, among others.
Kindiki further called on farmers in agricultural-rich areas to take advantage of the rains by working hard on their farms to ensure that the country’s food basket does not run empty.
He reiterated that the government was committed to enabling the many farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods to access the best variety of certified seeds and farm inputs at affordable rates.
“In 2022 a .50-kilogram bag of fertilizer for planting and topdressing was going for Sh7000; right now the same bag is going for Sh2000 only.”
“The price of 2 kilograms of certified maize seed has also been reduced from Sh600 to Sh300, while a kilogram of the same was currently retailing at Sh300, but now farmers can access the same at Sh150 only,” he added.
The DP noted that the reduction in price of the certified seeds and the fertilizer are meant to enable the farmers to increase production.
“Therefore, take advantage of the coming rains and increase your harvest by following the correct farming practices and ensuring that you plant certified seeds, which are now affordable,” he noted.
As a government intervention to further boost dairy production in the country, Kindiki observed that it had made available the sexed semen technology at the Kenya Animal Genetic Resource Centre (KAGRC) at Sh1000 from Sh8000.
“The sexed semen technology guarantees 90 percent female calves, increasing herd growth and milk production and strengthening Kenya’s dairy value chain by having more heifers,” he said.
By Florence Kinyua
