Kenya Receives €9 Million to Protect Arid Counties from Looming El Niño Floods
Lodwar, 18 September 2026
This new €9 million funding will help northern Kenya harvest imminent El Niño floodwaters, protecting 595,000 people by turning a seasonal threat into long-term drought resilience.
A Crucial Financial Injection for Climate Resilience
On 17 September 2026, Kenya’s State Department for Irrigation signed a landmark agreement securing an additional €9,000,000—equivalent to approximately Sh1.34 billion—in funding from the German KfW Development Bank [1][5]. This capital injection is part of the ongoing Drought Resilience Programme for Northern Kenya, designed to scale up water harvesting, storage, and agricultural infrastructure ahead of the anticipated October-December 2026 El Niño rains [1][8]. With this addition, the total funding allocated to the resilience programme has risen from its initial €21,000,000 to €30,000,000, calculated as 30 million euros [1]. Both Turkana and Marsabit counties are now set to receive an equal lifetime share of €15,000,000 each, following the disbursement of €2,000,000 (Sh298 million) to Turkana and €7,000,000 (Sh1.04 billion) to Marsabit in this latest tranche [1].
Targeted Regional Support and Infrastructure Development
The expanded programme is expected to directly benefit at least 595,000 residents across the two northern counties, supporting 340,000 people in Turkana and 255,000 in Marsabit [5]. Beyond immediate flood mitigation, the funds will finance long-term agricultural and pastoralist projects, including the rehabilitation of approximately 5,000 acres of rangeland and the creation of an estimated 10,000 direct and indirect jobs [1]. To prevent the destruction of existing crop fields, the government has already constructed protective dikes around active irrigation schemes [5]. This infrastructure is crucial to ensuring that the heavy rainfall is harvested productively rather than causing widespread damage to local livelihoods [1][5].
Protecting Host Communities and Vulnerable Refugees
In Turkana, the shared impact of climate shocks on local host populations and refugee communities remains a primary focus. Under Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai, the county is prioritising the development of the Taracha Dam, which is specifically designed to support South Sudanese refugees, alongside the revival of the silted Takwel Dam and the development of the Lowat Dam [5]. These interventions are vital for safeguarding vulnerable populations in the Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee settlements, where flood risks threaten to disrupt essential services [3]. Meanwhile, Marsabit County, led by Governor Mohamud Mohamed, is actively constructing rainwater harvesting water pans and deploying local radio broadcasts in the Rendille and Borana languages to communicate vital early warning and evacuation advisories [5].
Addressing the Broader Humanitarian Context
The urgency of these measures is underscored by a severe regional food security crisis. Approximately 2.7 million people across 23 arid and semi-arid counties in Kenya are currently facing acute food insecurity [3]. This represents a significant increase of 0.9 million people, calculated as 0.9 million, over the 1.8 million recorded in July 2025 [3]. Furthermore, nearly 900,000 children under the age of five and 117,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women suffer from acute malnutrition [3]. In response to these compounding crises, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen ordered tighter flood and landslide preparations on 16 September 2026 [8], following the Ministry of Health’s activation of national and county-level emergency response plans on 14 September 2026 to protect citizens before the October rains commence [3].