The East African Community (EAC) has adopted a regional El Niño emergency preparedness and response plan as member states brace for prolonged heavy rainfall, flooding and potential humanitarian emergencies expected to affect parts of the region through February 2027.
The plan, approved during an extraordinary ministerial meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, on November 6, seeks to strengthen cooperation among the eight EAC Partner States in responding to climate-related disasters that could overwhelm national emergency response systems.
Announcing the adoption on November 9, the regional bloc said the initiative would provide a coordinated framework for protecting lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and economic activities against the anticipated effects of an increasingly strong El Niño weather phenomenon.
Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, who chaired the meeting, warned that no member state could effectively manage the consequences of such a regional climate emergency independently.
She called for countries to abandon isolated national responses in favour of coordinated action, particularly in managing shared water resources, transport corridors and communities living along international borders.
The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) briefed ministers that El Niño was firmly established and could strengthen to very high intensity, with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole expected to amplify rainfall across parts of East Africa.
The forecasts indicate a high likelihood of above-normal rainfall through February 2027, particularly across eastern Kenya and central and southern Somalia.
Five priority areas identified
The regional emergency plan focuses on five critical areas designed to minimise the humanitarian and economic consequences of extreme weather.
These include:
- Early warning and anticipatory action: Improving weather forecasting, information sharing and emergency alerts to enable communities to prepare before disasters strike.
- Health preparedness: Strengthening healthcare systems and preparing for possible cholera outbreaks and other waterborne diseases associated with flooding.
- Infrastructure and tourism: Protecting roads, bridges, transport corridors and tourism facilities against damage caused by heavy rainfall.
- Agriculture and food security: Supporting farmers, protecting livestock and safeguarding livelihoods against weather-related disruptions.
- Climate mobility and displacement: Coordinating assistance for communities forced to leave their homes because of flooding and other climate-related emergencies.
The plan identifies the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya’s Tana River and coastal regions, Somalia’s Juba-Shabelle corridors, the Karamoja-Teso region, Rwanda’s western highlands, Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar as priority risk areas.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania outline preparedness measures
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Community Affairs, ASALs and Regional Development, Beatrice Askul Moe, said the country had adopted an all-of-government approach coordinated through the National Disaster Operations Centre.
She revealed that risks had been mapped across 18 priority counties, relief supplies pre-positioned and cholera response kits deployed to high-risk areas.
Uganda and Tanzania also reported strengthening weather monitoring systems, preparing emergency supplies and reinforcing disaster response teams.
The EAC further directed its Secretariat to establish a regional disaster information-sharing dashboard by November 25 and develop a detailed implementation plan by November 30, 2026.
Warning of challenges beyond flooding
Beyond the immediate threat of heavy rainfall, officials have warned that the region could experience drought, prolonged dry spells and increased cross-border movement of pastoral communities after the rains subside.
The EAC is therefore urging member states to harvest excess rainwater, restore forests and wetlands, strengthen flood management and protect essential transport routes.
For millions of East Africans dependent on agriculture, livestock and cross-border trade, the effectiveness of the new framework will depend on how quickly governments translate commitments into practical action.
