Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has intensified preparations to safeguard schools and ensure national examinations proceed as Kenya prepares for potentially heavy El Niño rains expected between October and December 2026.
Ogamba on Wednesday, September 16, chaired a multi-agency preparedness meeting involving Ministry of Education field officers, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA) and the National Disaster Management Unit.
The meeting sought to strengthen coordination on early-warning systems, emergency response and contingency plans to protect learners, teachers and other education personnel during the rainy season.
A major focus of the preparations is ensuring national examinations and assessments continue in regions that could experience flooding, impassable roads or other disruptions linked to heavy rainfall.
The Education Ministry is also putting measures in place to protect school buildings, equipment and other property from weather-related damage, while limiting disruptions to learning and ensuring the academic calendar remains on schedule.
The preparations follow an earlier engagement between Ogamba and the Kenya Red Cross Society. In August, the CS met the organisation’s Secretary General, Dr Ahmed Idris, to discuss emergency preparedness for schools ahead of the anticipated El Niño conditions.
“Through this collaboration, we are strengthening our ability to respond to emergencies, particularly in areas where flooding and other weather-related disasters could affect access to schools and examination centres,” Ogamba said.
KMSA has cautioned that El Niño conditions could affect weather patterns across Kenya during the final months of 2026, with the October-November-December period projected to experience above-average rainfall.
In its June forecast, KMSA reported that global climate models placed the likelihood of El Niño developing during the June-August period at between 80 and 82 per cent. The probability of the weather phenomenon continuing through the end of 2026 was estimated at 90–96 per cent.
The meteorological agency warned that the event could reach moderate or potentially strong levels, increasing the possibility of flooding, infrastructure damage and disruptions to transport in some parts of the country.
The warning has prompted government agencies to strengthen preparations across various sectors, including weather surveillance, disaster response and early-warning systems ahead of the rainy season.
For the Education Ministry, the latest measures are intended to ensure schools are adequately prepared before heavy rains set in, while protecting learners and staff and preventing extreme weather from disrupting learning and the administration of national examinations.
