Nelson Havi has sparked a heated political debate after questioning the circumstances surrounding the El Niño weather forecast and emergency road construction and repair projects undertaken in Nairobi, raising concerns about the management of public funds and the government’s preparedness for extreme weather conditions.
The former Law Society of Kenya president suspects that certain individuals within the government may have manufactured a misleading El Niño forecast to create an opportunity for the alleged misuse of public money through emergency funding allocated for road construction and repairs in the capital.
His argument centres on the apparent disconnect between the anticipated heavy rains and the weather conditions experienced in the months that followed.
Havi has further questioned why the heavy rainfall reportedly forecast for July 2026 had yet to materialise by October.
He has also raised concerns about the geographical concentration of the emergency road projects, questioning why similar initiatives have not been undertaken outside Nairobi if the threat of severe weather was genuinely nationwide.
However, his remarks have attracted mixed reactions, with some Kenyans challenging his reasoning and questioning whether the absence of anticipated rainfall automatically points to wrongdoing.
Critics have argued that even experienced legal professionals should recognise the unpredictable nature of weather systems and the importance of preparing for potential disasters before they strike.
Other commentators have defended the need for preventive measures, maintaining that governments must prepare for emergencies even when forecasts do not ultimately translate into the expected conditions.
They have pointed to devastating floods witnessed in different parts of the world as a reminder of the consequences of inadequate preparedness.
The controversy has therefore opened a wider debate about emergency spending, climate forecasting and accountability in public infrastructure projects.
While Havi’s concerns have intensified scrutiny of the Nairobi road works, establishing whether public funds were misused would require verifiable evidence, including procurement records, expenditure reports and official weather forecasts.