Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has called on Eastern African governments to strengthen disaster preparedness and invest in early action, warning that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent, severe and unpredictable.

Speaking during the official opening of the Second Eastern Africa Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action in Mombasa on Wednesday, Murkomen said governments must move away from reactive disaster management and embed preparedness into national and county government systems.

“As of December 2025, an estimated 48.5 million people across our region required humanitarian assistance,” Murkomen said, highlighting the growing pressure climate-related emergencies are placing on public institutions and communities.

He said drought, floods and climate-related displacement increasingly affect several countries simultaneously, making regional cooperation essential in addressing the shared risks facing the Horn of Africa.

“Disasters do not respect national boundaries,” he said, calling for stronger regional frameworks and coordinated action among member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Murkomen warned that climate shocks extend beyond physical destruction, noting that disasters and conflicts often reinforce one another through the loss of livelihoods, competition for resources and growing instability.

“Anticipatory action is therefore not simply a technical intervention, but a vital instrument of public safety, national security, and responsible governance,” he said.

The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya had made disaster risk reduction a national priority through legislative, financial and policy frameworks designed to strengthen preparedness and resilience.

These include the Disaster Risk Management Act, 2026, the Disaster Risk Financing Strategy for 2026–2030, the Kenya Anticipatory Action Roadmap for 2024–2029 and the National Framework for Climate Services.

Murkomen said disaster management must be integrated into both short- and long-term national planning, including infrastructure development and public financing, to protect communities and economic investments before emergencies occur.

The Interior CS said the anticipated strong El Niño conditions during the current season had made preparedness particularly urgent, adding that the government was taking the situation seriously.

“The urgency is real. Strong El Niño conditions are anticipated this season. Preparedness is a present test, and the Government is taking it seriously,” he said.

He called for meteorological forecasts and early warning information to be translated into practical action at the county and community levels.

Murkomen said county governments, local administrators, community leaders and grassroots organisations were at the forefront of disaster response and needed reliable information, adequate resources and clear authority to act.

He also emphasised the importance of ensuring warnings reach everyone in time and in a language they understand, including women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

The government, he said, was integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific forecasting to improve community trust and ensure early warnings reach people most at risk.

Murkomen said anticipatory action must become a permanent government function rather than remain dependent on temporary projects or external partners.

“Anticipatory action must be embedded in how government works, with clear mandates, agreed procedures and accountability, not left to temporary projects or external partners,” he said.

He added that financing arrangements must be established before disasters strike to ensure resources are available when predetermined risk thresholds are reached.

“Anticipatory action cannot scale if financing arrives only after destruction has occurred,” Murkomen said.

Under the Disaster Risk Financing Strategy for 2026–2030, Kenya intends to strengthen pre-arranged financing that can be released quickly and transparently when agreed triggers are met.

The government also plans to integrate anticipatory financing into national contingency budgets and social protection systems to ensure assistance reaches vulnerable populations before a crisis escalates.

Murkomen committed Kenya to making anticipatory action a core function of national and county disaster risk governance and fully operationalising the Disaster Risk Management Act, 2026.

The Cabinet Secretary urged IGAD member states to strengthen the sharing of risk information, improve coordination of early warning systems and establish harmonised triggers for anticipatory action.

He also called on development partners, international financial institutions and the private sector to provide predictable, flexible and multi-year financing to support government-led disaster preparedness systems.

The three-day dialogue, held under the theme “Transforming Risk into Resilience,” brings together government representatives, humanitarian and development partners, United Nations agencies, researchers, civil society and private sector actors.

Murkomen urged delegates to prioritise practical commitments that integrate early action into national legislation, development budgets and regional frameworks.

The meeting builds on the first Eastern Africa Dialogue Platform held in Mombasa in 2024, which established a shared regional vision and adopted a 17-point declaration.

The platform seeks to strengthen cooperation among Eastern African countries in anticipating and managing climate-related disasters, reducing humanitarian needs and building more resilient communities.