Climate Change Impacts on Health

The global climate crisis will significantly impact Kenya. It will likely lead to increased temperatures across most regions, resulting in more “hot” days (above 30°C). While small increases in total rainfall during the rainy season are possible, they are uncertain. However, an increase in days with extreme rainfall, leading to floods, is likely. This crisis has the potential to exacerbate existing health vulnerabilities and create new ones, particularly given Kenya’s role as host to one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. Recognizing this, Kenya’s National Programme of Adaptation and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions prioritize climate change adaptation within the health sector.

The most pressing health risks posed by the climate crisis in Kenya include the geographic expansion of climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases, an increase in waterborne diseases, and the nutritional consequences of food shortages. These shortages will stem from longer dry spells, increased land-surface temperatures, and water scarcity impacting agriculture.

Climatic stresses and shocks will also influence migration patterns. Severe and frequent droughts and floods in the region, coupled with conflicts, have already caused displacement and an increase in refugee migration from neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, and South Sudan. Within Kenya, extreme climate conditions like prolonged droughts, flash floods, and epidemics are already impacting many rural communities, potentially undermining their coping capacity and pushing them into crisis.

Furthermore, changes in access to agriculture for food and income have made women particularly vulnerable. This vulnerability can lead to transactional “fish for sex” relationships and may be linked to an increasing incidence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in northern Kenya. This occurs as young women are sent across the border to Ethiopia for cutting ceremonies and then return to Kenya to be married in exchange for a dowry.