EL NINO: Kenyans hope and fear

All parts of the country are subject to periodic droughts, or delays in the start of the rainy seasons. Kenya’s climate has had a profound effect on settlement patterns, as for centuries population has been concentrated in the wettest areas of the country.

Left, livestock has been hit severely by drought.

Usually, rainfall occurs seasonally throughout most of Kenya. The coast, eastern plateaus, and lake basin experience two rainy seasons with the “long rains” extending roughly from March to June, and the “short rains” lasting from approximately October to December. The highlands of western Kenya have a single long rainy season, lasting from March to September.

Today there is no rain, there is no heallthy surviving livestock while others have gave in, and there is no harvest this season if the mercy of the heavens dont intervene.

Generally, the hottest time is in February and March and the coldest in July and August. Kenya’s different topographical regions experience distinct climates.

According to the 4th Triennial Global Consultation on Creation Stewardship and Climate Change held this July in Limuru, Kenya, changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and an increase in the quantity and intensity of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods and diseases such as malaria have the greatest impact on the poorest people in our world. "In order to minimise the harm associated with these changes and call for climate justice for the poor, responsible stewardship of God's creation requires us to tackle these causes," they state.

In its most recent update on the subject, the UN World Meteorological Organization stated that the expectation is for El Niño conditions to very likely prevail through the remainder of 2009 and into the first quarter of 2010. Susequently, the United Nations is helping Kenya prepare to mitigate the effects of torrential rains expected in the last three months of 2009 due to El Niño weather pattern.

Now that we are learning the hard way and experiencing the kicks of mother nature, its our responsibility to support the democratic and transparent governance of institutions that provide community environmental services from grassroot levels, and take actions as individuals for a better environment. I do.

Above right, a tourvan cruises through Lake Amboseli in Amboseli National Park. The drought hasn't spared the wildlife either.