Nairobi’s preparations for the anticipated El Niño rains have taken centre stage following the ranking of Kenya’s capital among the world’s most climate-resilient cities.
Nairobi has been ranked 10th among 72 major cities globally in climate resilience by climate intelligence company AlphaGeo, placing it second in Africa after Addis Ababa, which emerged second overall.
The ranking comes as Governor Sakaja Johnson steps up preparations to protect Nairobi residents, businesses and infrastructure from the impact of heavy rains through a multi-agency approach targeting flood-prone areas across the city.
Chicago topped the global ranking, followed by Addis Ababa, Melbourne, Barcelona, Ankara, Buenos Aires, Paris, Istanbul, Bogotá and Nairobi.
AlphaGeo’s assessment is based on its Climate Risk & Resilience Index (CRRI), which evaluates cities against six major climate hazards: inland and coastal flooding, heat stress, drought, wildfires and hurricane winds, while also examining their capacity to adapt to these risks.
Nairobi recorded a Resilience-Adjusted Risk (RAJ) score of 13, placing it in AlphaGeo’s low residual-risk category, where a lower score indicates greater resilience.
While AlphaGeo attributes Nairobi’s strong position partly to its elevation and climate geography, the city’s preparedness and adaptation measures are increasingly becoming critical as extreme weather events pose a growing threat to residents.
Sakaja has placed multi-agency coordination at the heart of Nairobi’s El Niño preparedness, with weekly meetings bringing together the Nairobi County Government, Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the disaster management team, among other agencies.
The meetings are being used to assess preparedness, identify vulnerable areas and coordinate interventions ahead of heavy rains.
“Our priority is to ensure Nairobi is fully prepared before the rains intensify. Through the multi-agency approach, we are identifying flood hotspots, improving drainage and strengthening our emergency response so that we can protect lives, businesses and infrastructure,” Sakaja said.
KSh2.4 billion has been set aside to strengthen Nairobi’s drainage infrastructure.
The funds will support the deepening of existing drainage systems, construction of new drainage infrastructure and repair of roads and pathways affected by heavy rains.
The county has identified 16 flood hotspots requiring urgent intervention, with works already underway to clear and deepen drainage systems.
Areas along Mombasa Road, Chiromo, Kangundo Road and Thika Road are among those receiving attention as the county seeks to reduce the risk of flooding.
Sakaja has also directed efforts towards strengthening the city’s emergency response capacity, with joint training of emergency and disaster response teams being undertaken to ensure agencies can respond rapidly and in a coordinated manner when emergencies occur.
“Climate resilience is not just about responding when disaster strikes; it is about preparing in advance. We are working with all relevant agencies to deepen and construct drainage systems, train response teams and ensure that Nairobi is ready to manage heavy rains,” Sakaja said.
The county has established emergency hotlines 1199 and 1508, while an emergency response centre is being set up to receive, coordinate and respond to distress calls from residents.
The multi-agency strategy is aimed at ensuring that Nairobi does not wait for flooding to occur before responding, but instead identifies risks and puts mitigation measures in place ahead of the rains.
The AlphaGeo ranking therefore provides a timely global assessment of Nairobi’s climate resilience as the county intensifies its preparations for El Niño.