Kisumu County is developing a five-year Heat and Cooling Action Plan to address rising temperatures, protect vulnerable populations and safeguard livelihoods as extreme heat increasingly threatens public health and economic activities across the Lake Victoria region.
The Kisumu County Heat and Cooling Action Plan (2027–2032), spearheaded by Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s administration, will outline practical interventions to help communities adapt to prolonged heat and reduce its effects on workers, farmers, fisherfolk and urban residents.
“Rising temperatures are no longer a distant threat but a challenge that is currently, evidently, occurring in our daily lives,” Nyong’o said.
The county’s initiative follows growing concerns over rising temperatures, with monthly averages in Kisumu reportedly exceeding the late-1970s baseline by more than 2°C over the past two decades.
Experts warn that extreme heat poses particular risks to pregnant women, young children, older people, persons with disabilities and workers who spend long hours outdoors.
Kisumu’s location within the Lake Victoria basin, where average relative humidity is about 70 per cent, compounds the problem because moisture in the air makes it harder for sweat to evaporate and cool the body.
Researchers have identified a local heatwave threshold in which daily maximum temperatures exceed 37°C for more than three consecutive days, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses.
The World Health Organisation identifies extreme heat as one of the deadliest weather and climate hazards globally, with prolonged high temperatures and humidity placing pressure on human health, ecosystems, infrastructure and livelihoods.
The World Meteorological Organisation has also highlighted the economic costs of heat stress, particularly through lost labour productivity. Informal-sector workers, including boda-boda riders and open-air market vendors, are among those exposed to prolonged heat.
Nyong’o said the rising temperatures threatened productivity, health and incomes among thousands of smallholder farmers, lakeside fishers and urban traders, underscoring the need for coordinated county-level interventions.
The proposed plan was discussed during public participation forums held from October 14 to 16 in Muhoroni, Nyakach, Nyando, Kadibo and Seme sub-counties.
Sessions brought together county government officials, representatives from the Kenya Meteorological Services Authority (KMSA), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and local communities to examine the effects of extreme heat and identify possible solutions.
Felix Odhiambo, Senior Energy Planner and Chief Heat Officer at the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Public Works, said residents of informal settlements faced particular challenges because many homes were poorly designed to withstand high temperatures.
He cited Manyatta, Obunga, Nyalenda and Bandani as areas where corrugated iron-sheet roofing was widespread.
“Roughly 93.5 per cent of structures in these areas rely on corrugated iron-sheet roofing, which acts as a thermal conductor trapping daytime solar heat and radiating it inward during the night,” Odhiambo said.
The plan proposes community-guided improvements to existing homes, including cool-roofing technologies, insulation and neighbourhood greening to reduce heat retention and counter the urban heat island effect.
It also envisages enforcing building regulations that encourage the use of suitable building materials and designs that improve ventilation and reduce indoor temperatures.
Another key proposal is the establishment of 35 ward-level cooling stations to provide residents with safe places to seek relief during periods of extreme heat.
Agriculture and fisheries are also expected to benefit from interventions aimed at reducing post-harvest losses caused by inadequate cold storage.
Stakeholders said smallholder farmers and members of Beach Management Units operating at landing sites such as Dunga, Ogal and Asat often suffered losses when produce and fish spoilt before reaching buyers.
The proposed action plan seeks to establish solar-powered cold storage hubs serving local markets, including Jubilee and Osiri, as well as selected fish landing sites.
Odhiambo said the facilities could use phase-change materials for thermal storage, allowing them to retain cooling capacity using daytime solar energy and operate for longer periods without relying heavily on large battery systems.
The county also plans to establish a permanent Kisumu County Heat and Cooling Action Committee to coordinate responses and connect meteorological information with local health surveillance.
The committee would support a three-tier warning system comprising Normal, Heat Alert and Heat Emergency levels, enabling authorities to issue timely public advisories and coordinate community health responses.
International Labour Organisation has warned that prolonged occupational exposure to excessive heat can cause acute injuries, long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease and heat-related deaths.
Stakeholders said the proposed interventions would help protect workers, strengthen food security and improve the resilience of communities facing increasingly difficult climatic conditions.
The county government is expected to use the proposed framework to guide investments and coordinate action across departments and communities as it works towards adopting the plan.
By Robert Ojwang’
