NAIROBI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is projected to experience climate patterns marked by higher temperatures, erratic rainfall and water scarcity due to climate change, the country's meteorological department said Friday.
The Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) noted that adverse weather events would result in socioeconomic impacts such as food insecurity, health risks, displacement of communities, economic disruptions and damage to infrastructure.
"The western sector of the country is expected to receive near to slightly above average rainfall while the central parts and isolated areas over northeast and southeastern lowlands are predicted to receive near to below rainfall. This will be driven by weak La Nina conditions which are likely to develop during September to November and persist into early 2025," KMD said in its State of the Climate in Kenya report released in the national capital of Nairobi.
Most parts of the country are forecast to see low rainfall distribution, along with prolonged dry spells and cases of isolated storms, the weather agency warned.
The East African nation, according to KMD, will experience higher temperatures in 2024 that would match or surpass those in 2023.
KMD noted that 2023 was the warmest year on record for Kenya, with the presence of El Nino releasing oceanic heat into the atmosphere, contributing to increased global temperatures "and exacerbating anthropogenic global warming."
Floods affected 38 out of 47 counties across Kenya in 2023, resulting in loss of lives, injuries, displacements and destruction of key infrastructure.
An increase in contaminated water also led to the outbreak of vector and waterborne diseases like cholera.
Some 757,173 people were affected by floods during the period, according to KMD.
The Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, notes that the Eastern Africa region has become the face of a climate crisis due to numerous droughts, floods, extreme heat, pests, diseases, conflicts and economic instability. ■
