Families in Marsabit are seeking support to prepare for possible El Niño floods after successive drought and flooding weakened their livelihoods.
Jaldesa Village elder Halkano Galgallo Golole has appealed for government and donor assistance, saying residents lack resources to act on flood warnings.
Oxfam Kenya calls for urgent preparedness and response measures to protect climate-affected communities from further losses.
Families in Marsabit are appealing for government and donor support to prepare for possible floods, as Oxfam Kenya warns that successive climate shocks have weakened communities’ ability to withstand another disaster.
According to Oxfam Kenya, communities in the county have endured a devastating drought that killed livestock, the backbone of local livelihoods, followed by destructive flash floods that further eroded their means of survival.
The organisation says warnings of possible El Niño-induced floods between October and February 2027 have renewed uncertainty among families still struggling to recover.
In Jaldesa Village, elder Halkano Galgallo Golole described the gap between receiving early warnings and having the resources to act on them.
“The Government informed us about the coming of El Niño, but we have nothing to prepare with. The only thing we can do is pray to God. Everything we can do is leave it to God,” Golole said.
“We are requesting help from the government and all donors who can support us.”
His appeal highlights the difficulties facing households whose livelihoods have already been damaged by drought and flooding. For communities dependent on livestock, these repeated shocks have undermined both household income and their capacity to recover.
Oxfam Kenya called on the Government of Kenya, humanitarian agencies, development partners and other stakeholders to urgently strengthen preparedness and response measures.
The organisation said timely action was needed to prevent further loss of lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure across vulnerable communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.
It warned that repeated disasters were placing an increasing burden on families, testing their resilience and leaving many fearful about what another emergency could bring.
“Climate-affected communities cannot continue bearing the burden of recurring disasters alone. The time to act is now,” Oxfam Kenya said.
For Golole and other residents of Jaldesa, the immediate appeal is for practical support that enables families to prepare before a possible emergency strikes.