Kenya: Nairobi Tests Flood Response As Agencies Set Up Emergency Command Centre

What the report says

Nairobi has launched a flood-readiness exercise ahead of the October-December rainy season, with national and county agencies establishing a joint emergency command centre at Charter Hall, according to Capital FM as republished by AllAfrica. The drill, called Operation Okoa Maisha, is meant to test how authorities would share information, deploy rescue teams and evacuate people from areas at risk of flooding and other emergencies.

The reported participants include the Nairobi County Government, the National Disaster Operations Centre, the Kenya Red Cross, the Kenya Defence Forces, the Kenya Coast Guard and other responders. Charter Hall is being used as the central coordination point so agencies can pass field reports to a single command post rather than work from separate systems. Governor Johnson Sakaja said the aim is to improve coordination and avoid conflicting information during a crisis.

The preparations come after heavy rains and flooding have repeatedly affected parts of Nairobi, especially around the Mathare, Ngong and Nairobi rivers. County teams have been clearing drains, desilting waterways and moving earth equipment into known flood hotspots, while also identifying evacuation centres and emergency contacts. The exercise is intended to reveal gaps in response before a major flood occurs, including how quickly alerts reach responders and how effectively residents can be moved to safety.