The 2015-2016 El Niño was one of the strongest on record. Worldwide, more than 60 million people were affected by floods, droughts and other weather extremes linked to the El Niño event. Coastal Kenya experienced intense flooding, including the communities of Vanga (Kwale county), where the SPACES project has worked over the past few years. In April 2016, hundreds of families in Vanga were cut off from the outside by floodwaters, leaving them in dire need of health services, food, clean water and other basic items. Although we don’t know whether this terrible event is directly caused by El Niño, it is typical of the consequences of extreme weather events normally associated with the phenomenon.

The SPACES project has received a supplementary grant to work alongside another ESPA-funded project – CESEA – in identifying how people and ecosystems in southern Kenya have been affected by the recent El […]