Kenyans are experiencing an unprecedented flooding of lakes that submerge community infrastructure, including public facilities and residential homes. According to a professor at Kenyatta University, the Northern County of Marsabit has been particularly hard-hit by rising lake levels, with communities along nearly 200 kilometers of the lakeside being displaced. Women and children are disproportionately affected by the displacement and destruction of public infrastructure, as school enrollment is reduced among girls, and women bear the brunt of unpaid childcare.
In response, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry hosted an event to develop and strengthen tools for documenting economic losses from flooding. Attendees called for developments in satellite technologies and community data to document shifting shorelines, monitor displacement patterns, and ensure their impacts on women and other vulnerable groups are fully understood. This is part of a broader effort to ensure that women and girls are not excluded from climate accounting, shining a light on the unseen consequences of climate change, including educational discontinuity and trauma.
Compiled From: Imali Ngusale, “Rising Lakes, Rising Injustice: Kenya Pushes for Gender-Responsive Climate Justice,” Africa Science News, Jan. 16, 2026.