President William Ruto on Sunday announced that the country is unlikely to experience El Niño rains as predicted earlier by the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD).
Speaking during a church service in Dagoretti, the Head of State said the Met department had scaled down its forecast to short rains which he said is good for the country’s agricultural activities.
“You see the department has now said there will be no El-Nino, we will only have significant rains, which is even better for us to get to our farms and produce more,” he said.
In its latest forecast, the KMD said that the country is expected to receive enhanced (above average) rainfall that will be well distributed in both time and space.
“During OND 2023, it is expected that most parts of the country will experience enhanced (above average) rainfall that will be well distributed in both time and space. The forecast indicates a high probability that some counties in the Northeastern region are likely to experience above-average rainfall,” the Met Department’s forecast reads in part.
The KMD had previously warned that Kenya was likely to experience El Niño rains during the short rains season.
The alert specified that the El Niño rains would begin in September and continue until October through December of this year.
“This will be driven by warmer than average Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) over the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean, indicating the presence of El Niño conditions. According to most of the global climate models, El Niño conditions are likely to persist throughout the OND season,” explained Kenya Meteorological Service Director General Dr. David Gikungu.