- The 254 Report
- Posts
- Every Kenyan Deserves a Warning: Kenya Launches Landmark Early Warnings for All Initiative"
Every Kenyan Deserves a Warning: Kenya Launches Landmark Early Warnings for All Initiative"
Gerald Kombo
May 21, 2025
(Photos Courtesy of Joseph Kiptarus)
Keynote by UN Resident Coordinator – Mr. Stephen Jackson
Mr. Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, opened with an emotionally resonant and data-driven perspective. Using a mix of Kiswahili and English, he saluted the Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Ambassadors, diplomats, and grassroots leaders present.
Kenya and Africa are in the crosshairs of the climate emergency... an emergency that Africa did not cause but from which it is the most exposed.
He referenced his four years in Kenya, marked by:
The worst drought since records began.
Over 6 million people in severe food insecurity.
Followed by catastrophic flooding, with 315 lives lost and 110,000 displaced.
Mr. Jackson shifted focus from data to equity:
Frankly, we're not short of early warning in Kenya. The opportunity is to make it early warning for all—bringing information down to the level of communities and individuals.
He applauded Kenya’s assets:
His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, was designated by the United Nations Secretary-General as a global champion for the initiative.
Kenya’s pioneering role in impact-based forecasting.
Extraordinary digital literacy and mobile penetration across rural and urban areas.
He envisioned a future where:
An app in the hands of a smallholder farmer will help them better understand what's coming, to plan, prepare, adapt.
Mr. Jackson highlighted Nairobi’s global role as the UN’s climate capital, hosting institutions like:
UNDRR Regional Office
WMO
UNEP
OCHA
IFRC
He concluded:
We have all the ingredients to move from early warning to early warning for all. The UN will stand beside Kenya every step of the way. Hongera Kenya! Tuko pamoja.
Honourable Joseph Motari, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs, delivered an unscripted but impassioned contribution:
All that everyone has said today is simply social protection. When you warn early enough, when the communication is there, then you avoid vulnerabilities.
He contextualized the initiative’s impact on the elderly, orphaned, and people already under government care:
We deal with the vulnerable—the older people, the severely orphaned, the disabled. When disasters strike, these are the most affected.
Mr. Motari acknowledged Kenya’s cash transfer programs, warning that natural disasters without early preparation push more families into the streets:
Street families increase during floods and droughts. That’s a social protection issue too.
Keynote Address – Hon. Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry
Representing His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Honourable Soipan Tuya, delivered a comprehensive policy and programmatic outlook.
This event seeks to ensure universal protection through multi-hazard early warning systems and anticipatory actions by 2027.
The Cabinet Secretary outlined the nation’s climate crisis reality:
Droughts in Turkana and Marsabit
Flooding along the Tana River
Threats to food security, infrastructure, and human life
She emphasized that:
Early warnings go beyond weather reports. They must become actionable advisories for farmers, counties, and hospitals.
She highlighted major national milestones:
Launch of the National Framework for Climate Services (2025)
Approval of the Kenya Anticipatory Action Roadmap (2024–2029)
Tabling of the Disaster Risk Management Bill (2024) in Parliament
Hon. Tuya announced that 5% of Kenya’s Disaster Risk Management Budget will now be allocated to the early warning system upgrades. She also urged county governments to:
Incorporate ward-level outreach in their FY2025–2026 budgets.
Inclusivity remained central:
Every Kenyan, regardless of language or geography, deserves timely, actionable information.
She applauded support from development partners and telecom providers:
Thanks to Safaricom and others for waiving fees to enable SMS alert mass dissemination.
She concluded by officially launching the initiative:
It is now my privilege and honor to declare the Early Warnings for All Initiative in Kenya officially launched. May God bless Kenya.
Conclusion: A National Vision for Resilience
Kenya’s early warning journey is no longer about reactive weather forecasting. With a cross-sectoral, locally rooted, and globally endorsed approach, it is now a national framework for resilience.
Together, we will ensure that every Kenyan has the precious gift of time—to prepare, to protect, and to preserve.
Social Protection Remarks – Hon. Joseph Motari, Principal Secretary, State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs