The real cost of the Kenya floods

As the costs add up, pressure mounts on a country in economic crisis, says Timothy Njagi Njeru, a research fellow at the Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University.

- Timothy Njagi Njeru

There were early warnings that Kenya’s long rain season – between March and May – was going to bring above-normal rainfall. The extreme intensity of the rain has resulted in devastating floods in many parts of the country. Forty of the country’s 47 counties have been affected. More than 230 people have died and about 40 000 households, so far, have been displaced.

Poor maintenance of key infrastructure and drainage systems, and disregard of environmental regulations regarding maintenance of land near rivers, contributed to the situation.

The government has responded with measures to minimise destruction and safeguard lives. These include ordering the evacuation of households living close to dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties, and forced evictions of those living near rivers. President William Ruto has also announced welfare support for displaced households.

The effects of the flooding will have a massive impact on Kenya’s economy. I’m a development economist with 20 years of experience in the field of development planning, policy implementation and research. I’ve also worked with Kenya’s National Treasury and Economic Planning.

I’m particularly concerned about these things: damage done to transport infrastructure, which will affect the prices for goods and services; destruction of crops, which will affect food security; and business losses, which will affect household incomes and consumer purchasing power.

The cost of repairing what’s broken will also have a major impact on the country’s budget, which is already stretched.

THE IMPACTS