from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – THE Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has warned the El Niño rains could deepen human rights violations in the country.
It is demanding that the President William Ruto regime put these rights at the centre of preparations and interventions for the weather expected between late September and December this year.
Strong El Niño conditions, combined with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, are expected to bring above-average rainfall to Kenya. About 80 percent of the country is at risk of severe flooding, with all 47 counties potentially affected.
The highest-intensity rainfall is expected in Central Kenya, the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria basin and Western Kenya.
KHRC demands are based on the obligation that states ensure human rights are the framework for social, economic and cultural policies.
“This means disaster-related responses demand a combination of rights and humanitarian approaches,” the commission explained.
Its demand comes after the country experienced severe flooding in 2024. According to Human Rights Watch, by May 2 that year, floods had killed at least 170 people and displaced more than 200 000, while destroying property, infrastructure and livelihoods across the country.
A 2024 survey by KHRC and the Elimu Bora Working Group found that more than 62 primary schools were submerged, putting 15 000 students at risk of missing school. The survey also recorded 34 cases of cholera along the Tana River and damage to more than 20 000 toilets.
The overall student population in surveyed schools fell by 9 percent, with female students and learners with special needs disproportionately affected.
That year, police raided the Mathare Social Justice Centre and Ghetto Foundation offices in Nairobi and arrested 27 human rights defenders who were protesting the eviction of residents affected by the floods.
There were also demolitions in some areas, where bulldozers moved into the settlements before a 24-hour government deadline had elapsed and without sufficient notice or consultation, leaving thousands homeless.
KHRC further demands greater scrutiny of emergency spending.
Kenya has reportedly secured about Sh51,8 billion (US$406,9 million) from the World Bank’s Rapid Response Option to prepare for the rains. This comes as public debt stands at about Sh12,05 trillion, or 67,3 percent of GDP.
KHRC warned that emergency conditions should not be used to bypass procurement laws and public oversight, as happened during the COVID-19 response, when the Auditor General reported Sh2,3 billion in irregular procurement of medical supplies at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority.
– CAJ News