Strengthening Kenya's Flood Early Warning System - One Site at a Time

Under the TEMBO Africa Project, KenGen, the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA), and TAHMO have completed a joint site survey across the Seven Forks Cascade (Kenya’s principal hydropower system), to identify optimal locations for new TAHMO Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), river gauges, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) installations.
The goal was to strengthen real-time hydrometeorological monitoring for flood forecasting, reservoir inflow prediction, dam safety, and hydropower operations along the Tana River basin, with particular focus on flashpoint tributaries like the Thika and Thiba rivers.
Over three days, the joint team assessed six sites; Makima Bridge (Thiba River), Sofia Bridge (Thika River), Masinga Dam, Masinga Boys High School, Seven Forks Primary School, and Kamburu Hydroelectric Power Station, combining hydrological, structural, security, and accessibility evaluations with GPS mapping and aerial surveys.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:

𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 – Several existing monitoring stations are currently non-functional. Vandalism and theft of solar panels, batteries, cables, and even structural steel remain among the biggest operational threats to both existing and future sites.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 – Sites with engaged local institutions and hosts showed significantly less damage, reinforcing the case for structured host training and stewardship programs at both new and existing installations.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 – TAHMO’s installation, Quality Assurance and Quality Control standards, KMSA’s field experience across the Tana, Yala, and Nzoia basins, and KenGen’s operational insight into reservoir and gate management came together to inform practical, resilient site designs across the cascade.
Looking ahead, integrating future AWS and river gauge data directly into KenGen’s centralized control system at Kamburu will give operators real-time visibility across the entire Seven Forks cascade, which will be a critical step toward faster, more informed decision-making during flood events.
This fieldwork now feeds into site ranking, consolidated recommendations, and an upcoming project close-out meeting that will bring Kenya a step closer to a smarter, more resilient early warning network for its most critical hydropower catchment.