Nyeri is expected to record a steady dip in the ongoing short rains this month, County Director of Meteorological Services Mr. John Muiruri has said.
The announcement comes at a time when several parts of the counties are still reeling under devastating floods that have so far claimed at least 140 lives and uprooted close to 190,000 people from their homes across the country.
In September this year, Muiruri had announced that parts of the county were to receive up to 600 mm of downpour during the first and second week of October and therefore an urgent need for preparation for such unforeseen occurrences like storm waters, floods, and landslides.
He further disclosed that some parts like Kieni East would receive up to 600 mm of rain while others like Othaya, Mukurwe-ini, and Nyeri Central would receive between 500 to 600 mm of rain.
Among areas that were to receive the least amount of rain include Mathira and Mugunda ward in Kieni west expected to receive less than 300 mm of rain.
“Caution (is needed) as we are going to have enhanced rainfall so preparedness is very important. They (both county government and residents) have to prepare adequately in all the sectors like roads and lands in matters of soil erosion. We have to prepare because the rains are more than what we get,” he had told the press.
But the situation is now poised to change this month with the rains set to wane at the start of the New Year.
“The ongoing rains are usually characterized by flash downpours which subsidize immediately afterward. The rains are not continuous. The rains were to start gradually and then reach their peak before subsiding. So, we have gone through the peak and now we are on the receding graph in December. By January we expect the rains to come to an end,” he has told KNA.
According to the latest weather report for December, most parts of the Nyeri will receive occasional morning rains over a few places with afternoon and night showers likely to occur over a few places occasionally spreading to several places.
The official has nevertheless said farmers in the county are set to reap big in terms of harvest since the county has experienced minimal destruction from the floods compared to other parts of the country.
Muiruri has also dismissed claims that the rains will extend to April and said such reports are unfounded.
According to a Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) report dated August 30, 2023, the climate outlook for the October-November-December period indicated the whole country was likely to experience enhanced rainfall, a departure from what had been the norm for the last few years.
Nyeri was one of the counties that was expected to experience heavy rains throughout the three-month cycle.
However, the county was spared from the massive floods and destruction that have been reported in other parts of the country partly due to the moderate rains that fell and also the topography of the county that ensured any excess runoff was drained off.
“Farmers in Nyeri are lucky since these rains have not been destructive as they have not been continuous. As a department, we have not received reports of any major destruction from the rains over the past two months as compared to other parts of the country that have suffered the brunt of floods. The mode of the rains therefore means that those who planted crops in their pieces of land are set to reap from the rains owing to the moderate distribution of the precipitation,” he added.
Among the worst affected counties include Tana River, Garissa, Mandera, and Wajir which have seen hundreds of families cut off from the rest of the country after raging floods destroyed major roads, and bridges and destroyed critical infrastructures like markets and communication installations.
By Samuel Maina
