As Kenya enters the October–December rainy season, individuals and businesses should be considering how prepared they are should an emergency occur. ICPAC is forecasting a 90% chance of enhanced rainfall in north-eastern Kenya, while parts of central Kenya could receive more than 400mm during the season.
Recent experience shows what severe rainfall can mean in practice. Kenya’s March–May 2026 floods claimed 122 lives and affected more than 42,000 people across 27 counties, according to the World Health Organization.
Roads, bridges, water systems, and power infrastructure were damaged, disrupting access to essential services and leaving some communities cut off. Several health facilities were also flooded and forced to reduce or temporarily suspend services, further complicating emergency response efforts.
This illustrates one of the biggest challenges during severe weather: the number of emergencies taking place often increases at exactly the same time that reaching people becomes more difficult.
Flooded or damaged roads can delay security, medical, and roadside responders, while accidents, stranded motorists, and other incidents may place additional pressure on available services.
The scale of the challenge is significant. During the March 2026 floods, major roads across Kenya were rendered impassable, including sections of Mombasa Road and Uhuru Highway in Nairobi.
The Nairobi–Mombasa highway was temporarily cut off after flooding submerged the Sultan Hamud Bridge, leaving motorists stranded, while sections of Ahero Bridge on the Kericho–Awasi–Kisumu road were also submerged, disrupting transport in western Kenya.
In Nairobi, flood damage to the Nairobi River bridge prompted further road closures and traffic diversions. These incidents demonstrate how quickly severe rainfall can disrupt critical transport routes, potentially delaying emergency services when they are needed most.
Individuals and businesses alike therefore need to prepare before conditions deteriorate. This includes staying informed of the latest weather forecasts, flood warnings and safety guidance issued by organisations such as the Kenya Meteorological Department, Ministry of Health and Kenya Red Cross.
People should follow official advice on avoiding flood-prone areas, evacuating when necessary and taking precautions against waterborne diseases and other health risks associated with flooding.
Beyond this, emergency contacts should be current, employees should understand how to request assistance, site and access information should be accurate, and companies should consider alternative arrangements where normal routes could become inaccessible.
At AURA, we use technology to help make emergency response more resilient during these difficult periods by connecting people who need assistance with the nearest available vetted responder.
When an emergency is triggered through one of our partner platforms, the technology identifies the user’s location and alerts nearby responders across AURA’s network, which includes private security, medical and roadside-response providers.
This can be particularly important during severe weather, when flooding, damaged roads or congestion may make normal routes difficult to use and the responder who would ordinarily attend may no longer be the fastest option.
AURA recently became the first emergency response platform to integrate the Google Maps Platform across its dispatch system, giving the platform access to accurate, real-time traffic information and road-closure data when calculating routes and estimated arrival times.
During periods of severe weather, having that level of real-time information can help us make better dispatch decisions and get responders to people in distress as efficiently as conditions allow.
Severe weather cannot always be avoided, but its consequences can be reduced. The priority should be ensuring that when an emergency happens, people know what to do and responders have the information and tools necessary to reach them as quickly as circumstances allow.
