Floods in Kenya and their Impact on the Economy of the Country

Floods. What comes to your mind when you hear this term? Is it rain, water, property destruction or death? Whatever comes to your mind, in association with this term is hardly positive. Kenya has had a long history of floods. People have lost their lives, property worth millions has been destroyed, infrastructure broken down and lives lost.

Floods occur due to natural factors like flash floods, river floods and coastal floods. They may also occur due to human manipulation of watersheds, drainage basins and flood plains. In Kenya, the main cause of floods has been torrential rainfall like not unlike the one that has been witnessed in the past few days. Floods have often forced thousands of people living in the lowlands to move to higher grounds for safety with those who react late ending up being affected.

Residents of Budalang’i have a long history of floods. People have often lost their lives in this area and products destroyed. Until recently, people were still dying in this region but people have long since devised mechanisms of protecting themselves.

According to a report released by United Nations Development Program, Kenya’s record of flood disasters indicates the worst floods recorded in 1961-62 and 1997-98, the latter ones being the most intense, most widespread and the most severe. During this season the flooding was associated with the El Nino phenomenon, a weather pattern that affects most parts of the world. El Niño is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather around the globe. It may cause increased rainfall in some areas and drought in others thus changing the normal weather pattern.

The ongoing rains in the country have been said to be El Nino. Floods have been witnessed in various parts of the country with Nairobi being the worst hit with flashfloods that have often lasted for an hour or two. Before the coming of these rains, the metrological departments had issued a warning late last years that the El Nino rains were on the way. The government, in its own wisdom, set aside funds and distributed to every county in preparation for any disaster that would accompany the El Nino. Unfortunately, the rains did not come as scheduled and the counties might have gotten tired of preserving the El Nino cash and decided to utilize it. Our country is always been poorly prepared for disasters. We always act after a tragedy and forget immediately the tragedy is over.

Collapsed Building in Huruma Estate, Nairobi.

The death toll of a collapsed building in Huruma Estate in Nairobi has reached 26 with hundreds still nursing injuries and scores others missing. The six-storey building which is said to have been built on the bank of a river came down on Friday last week with rescue operations going on. Among the reasons that have been given are due to the ongoing rains that weakened the foundations of the building. Authorities, however, say that the building was among the more than 200 that had been marked as dangerous and not worth living in. The rescue operations in Huruma shows how poorly the country is prepared for such natural disasters.

Impact of Floods to the Economy

Floods have got so many negative impacts that tends to affect the economy of a country, and in this case, the Kenyan economy. The ongoing heavy rains being experienced in most parts of the country, especially in Nairobi have led to loss of human life, damage of property, destruction of crops and loss of livestock. The Kenyan economy is greatly dependent to each of the areas that get affected.

Communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and bridges are damaged and disrupted and at the same time, some economic activities may come to a standstill as people are being forced to leave their homes and normal life is disrupted. Buildings, collapse due to the heavy pressure brought about by the flooding water and business come to a standstill.

Most drainage systems within the city are not well maintained thus during such seasons, a lot of sewage spills are experienced. This is a very serious health hazard along with standing water and wet materials in the home. Bacteria, mold and viruses, cause disease, trigger allergic reactions, and continue to damage materials long after a flood.

Similarly, disruption to industry can lead to loss of livelihoods. These are the personnel who make the industries continue functioning and bringing about growth to the economy of Kenya. Heavy rainfall and floods affect proper functioning of machinery in these industries and people may end up being electrocuted, thus some losing lives.

Damage to infrastructure also causes long-term impacts, such as disruptions to supplies of clean water, wastewater treatment, electricity, transport, communication, education and health care. Loss of livelihoods, reduction in purchasing power and loss of land value in the floodplains can leave communities economically vulnerable.

Floods traumatize victims and their families for long periods of time. The loss of loved ones has deep impacts, especially on children who ends up being left orphans with no parents to look after them. Displacement from one’s home, loss of property and disruption to business and social affairs can cause continuing stress. For some people the psychological impacts can be long lasting.

The Agricultural sector contributes to more than half of the Kenyan economy. Flooding in key agricultural production areas leads to widespread damage to crops and fencing and loss of livestock. Crop losses through rain damage, waterlogged soils, and delays in harvesting are further intensified by transport problems due to flooded roads and damaged infrastructure. The flow-on effects of reduced agricultural production often impacts well outside the production area as food prices increase due to shortages in supply.

Damage to public infrastructure affects a far greater proportion of the population than those whose homes or businesses are directly inundated by the flood. In particular, flood damage to roads, rail networks and key transport hubs, such as shipping ports, can have significant impacts on regional and national economies.

The tourism sector is also greatly affected by floods. While the impact on tourism infrastructure and the time needed to return to full operating capacity may be minimal, images of flood affected areas often lead to cancellations in bookings and a significant reduction in tourist numbers.

Flooding of urban areas can result in significant damage to private property, including homes and businesses. Losses occur due to damage to both the structure and contents of buildings. Insurance of the structure and its contents against flooding can reduce the impacts of floods on individuals or companies.

Article by Juma Fred & Vera Shawiza.