The Rains Are Here. Are We Ready to Use Them?

Have you noticed how fast we forget drought once the rain starts? A few weeks of grey skies and suddenly the dry months feel like someone else’s story.

They’re not. Only a year ago, November 2025 was unusually dry across most of Kenya, the month that is normally the peak of the short rains. This year, the Kenya Meteorological Service has forecast above-average short rains across much of the country, with prolonged wet spells and isolated storms. That is good news for farmers, for seedlings and for the water table. It is also a test. Rain doesn’t make us water-secure. What we do with the rain does.

What’s actually happening this season?

The October–December short rains are here, and in many places they are expected to come heavier than usual, according to the official seasonal outlook. That means a real planting window and a real risk of run-off, flash floods, and topsoil washing straight into rivers.

Why does this matter beyond the weather report?

Because every rainy season is borrowed time. The water that runs off a compacted field or a concrete compound today is the water we will be short of in February. Healthy soil, trees, and wetlands slow rain down so the land can drink it. Bare ground just sends it away.

Who carries the risk?

The same people who carried the drought. Across East Africa, drought affected more than 8.5 million people in 2025, and floods were the most frequently reported hazard on the continent. Smallholder farmers, informal settlements along rivers, schools without gutters or tanks, and children walking to school on flooded paths sit on both sides of that swing.

Where does the opportunity sit?

In small, unglamorous places. A school compound with a tank. A riverbank with roots holding it together. A drip-bucket kitchen garden that turns one season’s rain into months of vegetables. Through our Kitchen Gardens for Kids project, I’ve watched children from Garissa to Voi eat from gardens they grew themselves, and the rains are when those gardens get their head start.

When should we act?

Now, while the ground is soft. In October, Kenya marked Mazingira Day and National Tree Growing Day together, with a target of more than 17 million trees. Those seedlings are a month old. They need us now more than they did on planting day.

How do we make this season count?

• Plant now, and plan the watering for after the rains stop; that is when most seedlings die.
• Harvest what you can: gutters, tanks, even buckets. Every litre caught is a litre you don’t have to buy later.
• Mulch and cover bare soil, so rain sinks in instead of running off.
• Clear drains and report blocked culverts before the storms, not after.
• Check on the trees planted in October and replace the ones that didn’t make it while it’s still raining.

The rain will stop. It always does. The question is whether we’ll have anything to show for it when it does.

What are you planting this season or protecting? Tell me in the comments.