Kenya has officially taken a major step towards protecting lives and livelihoods from disasters through its national launch of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative which seeks to tailor United Nations' 'Early Warnings for All' initiative to the risk profile and needs of Kenya.
Over recent decades, the country has faced increasing climate-related disasters, particularly droughts and floods, which have severely impacted communities, especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions.
In 2024, the March-April-May floods affected around 410,000 persons, claimed 315 lives and caused damage that amounted to 187 billion Kenyan Shillings (USD 1.5 Billion).
Speaking in Nairobi during the Official launch of the initiative, Cabinet Secretary Ministry for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Deborah Barasa said that the launch of EW4All in Kenya underscores the urgent need to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive anticipatory action, while ensuring that no one is left behind when disasters strike.
