Why El Niño responses must address women’s needs

By  Moraa Obiria

Senior Gender Journalist

What you need to know:

• Women in Nairobi’s informal settlements say floods expose gaps in disaster response, livelihoods and access to essential resources.
• As Nairobi prepares for El Niño rains, women demand accessible climate information, safer shelters and protection of livelihoods.

Teresia (identified only by her first name) remained in her wheelchair inside her flooded house for three days last March during a downpour.

The water had risen around Mathare, an informal settlement in Nairobi County, leaving the physically disabled mother raising her children alone stranded. No one was there to care for them. This is one of the women featured in a video of women from informal settlements in Nairobi sharing their experiences with extreme weather patterns.

The video was shared on September 29, 2026, during a gender and climate justice summit in Nairobi. The summit, organised by Xolani Women of Hope, brought together women from Nairobi County, climate and environment government agencies, climate non-state organisations and researchers.

No pads

Then came Ritah Anindo. When floods hit Nairobi in 2024, she was not attending such a summit to discuss climate change. She and other women were out looking for resources to help women and girls displaced by the floods in informal settlements, including sanitary towels.

Menstruation did not stop when the floods came, nor did the need for basic supplies, even as their sources of income had been washed away or disrupted. As they went about their work, Ritah says they noticed something that got them thinking: who controls resources when a climate crisis strikes?

“The people who were most proactive in getting resources to communities were men,” she said. “That meant that a vulnerable girl who needed assistance could end up having to go through a man to get it.”

These differences raise questions about whether national and county governments are adequately tailoring their El Niño disaster responses to the needs of different groups of women.

Gender-responsive climate budgeting

Dorcas Nyamanya, founder of Xolani Women of Hope, recommended that counties implement gender-responsive climate budgeting. “This means that when counties allocate money for disaster risk management, they should consider how different groups experience climate-related disasters,” she explained.

She said that disaster planners also need to account for women with disabilities, including those with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities who may not be fully aware of their surroundings during flooding.

Protect livelihoods

However, she said, preparing to respond to climate change disasters also means protecting women’s livelihoods. She gave the example of a woman who sells green groceries and whose livelihood is affected when the rains come.

“What option will you have provided for her so that she can sustain herself and her household during the floods?” she said. “Moving her to a safe place is fine, but will she be sleeping hungry? There must be a way of cushioning them and their livelihoods.”

Climate information

Dorcas also said the government ought to make an effort to disseminate information to women through channels and in places that are accessible to them. She said many climate conversations take place in boardrooms and closed rooms, away from the people experiencing the effects of climate change.

“For instance, we have been holding radio discussions on how climate change affects women, and this information gets to women,” she said. “We also hold football tournaments where we engage the community on the same issues, and we are happy when people share how they can be part of the solution. That is the beginning of change.”

El Niño response preparations

Meanwhile, Jane Gichure, Director for Gender and Inclusivity at Nairobi City County, said the county was intensifying preparations for the expected El Niño through joint efforts involving the national and county governments, civil society organisations and communities.

“The community is at the centre of these preparations,” she said, adding the county was excavating and unsealing drainage systems and removing solid waste in preparation for the rains, to minimise loss of life and damage to property.

She further noted that the county had mapped flood hotspot areas across Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties, including riparian areas. She said populations living in riparian areas may be asked to move to higher ground before the rains begin. Where necessary, she said, affected communities may be taken to safe shelters until the rains subside.

Participation in budget-making

However, she said, preparing for climate-related disasters begins with how women participate in budget-making. “Nairobi County’s budget-making process begins around August and continues through the end of the year,” she said.

“This makes public participation an important opportunity for women to influence what the county prioritises. And when you attend the meetings, contribute. Don’t just be present.”

She pointed out that participation does not end once a project appears in a county plan. “You have a role in monitoring and evaluating whether projects you proposed were actually implemented,” she said.