The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has called for greater involvement of communities, particularly vulnerable and low-income populations, in the preparation of evacuation, relocation and settlement plans ahead of the anticipated El Niño rains. The commission says disaster preparedness should not be driven entirely by top-down government decisions but should actively involve the people who are most likely to be affected by flooding and displacement.

The call comes as Kenya prepares for above-average rainfall expected between late September and December 2026. KHRC has warned that the impact of the rains could extend beyond flooding and destruction of property to serious human-rights concerns if evacuation and relocation exercises are conducted without adequate consultation, notice and safeguards. 

Community participation at the centre of disaster preparedness

According to KHRC, communities living in areas vulnerable to flooding should have a direct role in deciding how evacuation and temporary settlement arrangements will be implemented. This means residents should be informed about possible risks, evacuation routes, designated shelters and the services that will be available once they are moved from dangerous areas.

The organisation's position is that authorities should listen to local residents because communities understand their neighbourhoods, including roads, drainage systems, bridges, rivers and other areas that may become inaccessible during heavy rainfall.

KHRC Executive Director Davis Malombe has called for a shift from heavily top-down disaster management approaches towards systems that directly involve vulnerable communities. The commission argues that previous experiences show that disaster responses can expose affected people to additional problems when decisions are made without sufficient community participation.

Lessons from the 2024 floods

The concerns raised by KHRC are strongly connected to Kenya's experience during the devastating floods of 2024. The floods caused widespread deaths, displacement and destruction of homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

KHRC says that by May 2024, at least 170 people had died and more than 200,000 people had been displaced, according to figures cited by the commission. The organisation also points to problems experienced by residents of informal settlements during evacuation and relocation exercises. 

In Nairobi, KHRC says demolitions occurred in areas including Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Kiamaiko after residents were given limited notice. The commission argues that such experiences demonstrate why future evacuation and relocation exercises should be carefully planned, communicated and implemented with the participation of affected communities. 

The commission has also raised concerns about the treatment of human-rights defenders and community organisations that monitor government responses during emergencies.

Protecting people from forced displacement

One of KHRC's major concerns is that an emergency should not become a justification for forced or arbitrary evictions.

The commission has called for evacuation and relocation plans that protect people from human-rights violations while still ensuring that residents in dangerous areas can move to safety. 

This distinction is important because evacuation should primarily be about protecting lives. People who are asked to leave flood-prone homes need to know where they will go, how long they are expected to stay and what assistance they will receive.

KHRC has therefore urged authorities to ensure that relocation arrangements do not leave families homeless or without access to basic necessities.

Affordable housing and public facilities

KHRC has also called for government facilities, including affordable housing developments, to be considered when identifying temporary accommodation for people displaced by floods. Reports on the commission's recommendations indicate that schools, churches and other public facilities could also provide temporary space where appropriate. 

Such facilities, however, would need proper planning to ensure that displaced families have access to food, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and other essential services.

The commission has emphasised that evacuation plans should provide clear information about the location of shelters, the expected duration of stays and the services available to affected people. 

Women, children and persons with disabilities

KHRC has specifically highlighted the need to protect marginalised groups during the emergency response.

Women, children, young people, persons with disabilities and people living in poverty can face additional challenges during evacuations. A plan that works for the general population may not automatically work for someone with mobility challenges, a child travelling without a parent, an elderly person or a family that depends on medication.

KHRC has therefore called for marginalised groups to be considered when authorities design evacuation and settlement arrangements. 

This could include accessible shelters, adequate sanitation facilities, medical support and communication systems that reach people with different needs.

Education and healthcare should continue

Another concern raised by KHRC is the disruption of essential public services during floods.

The commission has called for continued access to healthcare, clean water, sanitation and education during the El Niño response. 

The organisation's experience from the 2024 floods showed how flooding can affect education. A survey by KHRC and the Elimu Bora Working Group found that more than 62 primary schools were submerged, putting about 15,000 students at risk of missing school. The survey also identified sanitation and health challenges in affected communities. 

This means evacuation planning needs to consider more than simply moving people away from floodwaters. Authorities also need to consider what happens to children after evacuation, where they will study and how families will access medical services.

Early warning and communication

Community involvement also depends on effective communication.

The government has been working on a coordinated crisis-communication framework for the anticipated heavy rains, with officials identifying last-mile communication as an important gap in disaster preparedness. The objective is to ensure that weather information and warnings reach communities and translate into timely action. 

For KHRC's community-centred approach to work effectively, residents need timely and understandable information. Warnings should reach people through channels they regularly use, including local administrators, community organisations, religious institutions and other trusted local networks.

Communities should also understand what specific actions they need to take when an alert is issued.

Transparency in emergency funds

KHRC has also raised concerns about transparency and accountability in the use of funds allocated for disaster preparedness.

The commission says Kenya has secured approximately KSh51.8 billion from the World Bank's Rapid Response Option to prepare for the anticipated rains. It has called for accessible information on financing, procurement and expenditure related to the El Niño response. 

KHRC argues that emergency conditions should not be used to bypass procurement requirements or public oversight.

For communities, transparency is important because residents need to understand what resources are available and how those resources are being used to protect people affected by flooding.

Government and communities need to work together

The call by KHRC does not mean that government authorities should abandon their responsibility for disaster management. Instead, it emphasises cooperation between national and county governments, local administrators, humanitarian organisations and the communities themselves.

There are already examples of county-level preparations involving multiple stakeholders. In Trans Nzoia, for example, a multi-sectoral El Niño Disaster Steering Committee was established involving national government administrators, county officials, security teams and the Kenya Red Cross Society, with calls to broaden participation to other sectors. 

Such coordination can help ensure that evacuation decisions are based on local realities rather than relying only on national-level assessments.

KHRC establishes monitoring mechanism

As part of its response, KHRC says it is establishing a human-rights monitoring and response centre to address governance and rights issues arising from actions by state and non-state actors during the rains.

The commission has encouraged members of the public to report human-rights violations connected to the El Niño response. 

The monitoring mechanism is intended to provide another avenue through which concerns arising during evacuations, relocations and humanitarian operations can be documented.