Kenya’s October–December 2026 rains: the state of public preparedness
This snapshot shows the assessment as it stood on 18 September 2026; later evidence and revisions are not included.
Abbreviations: Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); October–December (OND); Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD); National Drought Management Authority (NDMA); arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs); World Health Organization (WHO); World Food Programme (WFP); and Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI).
Record
KE-OND-2026-001
State
Decision window open
Opened
9 September 2026
Reviewed
18 September 2026
Active signal
Decision-maker guidance from the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), part of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), assigns north-eastern Kenya a 90 per cent likelihood of enhanced rainfall during October–December. IGAD member states have now adopted a regional Call to Action requiring national and subnational plan activation, pre-positioning, health surveillance and finance tied to early-warning triggers. Kenya’s public evidence of county delivery and released finance remains markedly uneven.
Assessment stages
Findings published in revision 1.7
Stage 1 · Verified
Signal
For October–December 2026, regional and national outlooks identify an enhanced-rainfall risk; the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) assigns north-eastern Kenya a 90 per cent likelihood.
Stage 2 · Verified
Trigger
IGAD member states have adopted a regional Call to Action, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has issued an operating advisory to all 47 counties, the national government has directed every county to prepare a response strategy, and a livestock plan has been announced for 24 counties.
Stage 3 · Mapped
Authority
Kenya’s delivery responsibility lies with national coordination bodies, sector institutions and county governments. IGAD, ICPAC and specialised regional institutions now hold defined coordination, forecasting and reporting duties, although the country-level Technical Annex is not publicly available.
Stage 4 · Verified
Commitment
The IGAD Call to Action commits member states to activate plans, pre-position supplies and make finance move on agreed triggers. Kenya’s 2.1 billion Kenyan shillings (KSh) livestock plan and several county allocations remain reported, while release, award and expenditure evidence is incomplete.
Stage 5 · Reported
Execution
Reports from 13 counties describe measures under execution, while Kisii has begun procurement. Much of the evidence comes from official statements or secondary reporting, and the extent of completion remains unclear.
Stage 6 · Not assessable at this stage
Outcome
Not yet. Assessing public outcomes must await the October–December season and the evidence it produces.