Catherine Kemuto had no warning when the floodwaters came. The 32-year-old mother of five from Gatwekera in Kibera sub-county, Nairobi County, returned home to find everything submerged, including her children's vaccination records. A week of displacement left her children ill, and access to safe water remained a struggle long after the floods receded.

"It was so abrupt and vicious this time. I lost most of my things, including all the vaccination documents," she said.

Seasonal long rains have caused widespread flooding across Kenya, resulting in loss of life, destruction of critical infrastructure, mass displacement, and significant disruption to health services. As of 30 March 2026, flooding had claimed 112 lives across 27 counties. Impassable roads, damaged water systems, power outages, and school closures severely limited communities' access to essential services.

Health facilities were also directly affected, with several inundated and forced to scale down or suspend services. In Kiambu County, for example, Gachororo Health Centre was identified during rapid assessments as one of the facilities impacted by flooding, illustrating the strain on primary healthcare delivery.

Flooding creates immediate public health crises by contaminating water sources and destroying infrastructure. This particularly endangers vulnerable groups like children, seniors, and the chronically ill as displacement rapidly cuts off access to essential medications, vaccines, and routine medical care.

"The impact of the long rains underscores the importance of preparedness, early warning, and coordinated response. Strengthening disease surveillance, maintaining access to safe water and sanitation, and safeguarding continuity of essential health services are all critical during this period," said Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, Acting WHO representative to Kenya

A multiagency Vulnerability, Risk, Capacity Assessment identified critical gaps in county health departments' ability to manage displaced populations and contain potential outbreaks. The Incident Management Support Team was activated at national and county Public Health Emergency Operations Centres, and active disease surveillance was established across all affected areas.

The Ministry of Health deployed eight field teams of 41 health professionals across 14 counties to strengthen coordination, surveillance, infection prevention, and WASH measures. WHO supported the response with cholera kits, water treatment supplies, and trauma kits, reaching 5,000 people, with additional supplies positioned to serve over 100,000 people. Surge-trained personnel were also deployed to support assessment and response activities.

At Huruma Lions Health Centre in Nairobi County, Clinical Officer and Officer-in-Charge Joyce was caring for a community of 32,000 people with only four nurses when displaced families began arriving without medical records or medication. "The hardest part was patients with chronic illness, those on long-term medication like antiretroviral drugs. We did not have their records. But with time, we were able to figure out which medicines they were on," she said.

When a burst in a draingage water source caused a sharp rise in diarrhoeal diseases, her team distributed water treatment tablets through community health promoters. As immunization coverage dropped because families had lost child health booklets, the facility regenerated records and re-enrolled affected children into care. Community health promoters proved essential throughout, serving as the most trusted link between the health system and displaced families, delivering supplies, information, and support to households that could not reach a facility.

Psychosocial support emerged as a critical and often overlooked needs. "The county does not employ psychosocial practitioners. We had gaps we had never planned for," Joyce said. The floods also drove lasting improvements. The facility now holds a three-month medicine buffer stock and a cold chain system keeping vaccines safe for 90 days without power.

"We learned a lesson that time. This time around, we are well stocked, we are ready," Joyce reflected.

WHO remains committed to supporting the Government to strengthen preparedness and response capacities. The Ministry of Health and WHO are working to ensure these lessons translate into stronger emergency plans, better-resourced facilities, and more resilient communities. For Catherine and families like hers, that resilience is the difference between losing everything and being protected when the rains return.