Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority

02/10/2026

TARDA JOINS MAKUENI’S EL NIÑO PREPAREDNESS EFFORT

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority this week joined the Government of Makueni County and partners at the Disaster Risk Management Partners Coordination Conference in Makueni, bringing together government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders to strengthen preparedness for the anticipated OND 2026 rains.

The discussions went beyond response. They focused on the actions that must happen before the rains—strengthening early warning, mapping risks and capacities, closing preparedness gaps, coordinating resources and ensuring critical information reaches communities in time.

For TARDA, this is central to our mandate across the Tana and Athi River Basins: turning climate and hydrological information into practical action that protects lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and ecosystems.

Preparedness is not measured by how we respond after a disaster. It is measured by what we put in place before it happens.

Know your risk. Know the warning. Act early.

30/09/2026

🌧️ TARDA SUPPORTS MACHAKOS TO STRENGTHEN EL NIÑO PREPAREDNESS

As the County Government of Machakos steps up preparations for the anticipated heavy rains, multi-agency teams are strengthening early warning, flood-risk mapping, information sharing and emergency response.

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority took part in a Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) workshop convened by the Kenya Red Cross Society held last week. TARDA's risk assessment has identified high-risk hotspots within the Athi River Basin, including Kinanie, Masinga Dam, Matungulu, Tala, Kima and Yatta Plateau, where communities may face flash floods, landslides and river overflows.

TARDA is working with various partners to strengthen flood-hazard mapping and to support timely, localized information for communities and decision-makers.

Preparedness is not only about responding when the rains come. It is about knowing where the risks are, strengthening the systems that detect them and ensuring information reaches communities early enough to act.

Know your risk. Know the warning. Act early.

29/09/2026

🌧️ EL NIÑO 2026 | PREPAREDNESS IS MEASURED DOWNSTREAM

Today, the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority's Managing Director Mr. Liban Roba joined KBC Channel 1 TV’s alongside the Kenya Meteorological Department and Kenya Red Cross Society to discuss what the 2026 OND rains mean for communities across the Tana and Athi River Basins.

The message was clear: the forecast gives us time to prepare — and that time must be used wisely.

For TARDA, preparedness goes beyond watching the rainfall. It means connecting the full picture — rainfall, river levels, catchment conditions, reservoirs, drainage systems, infrastructure and communities — and turning that information into action.

The Tana and Athi do not respond to rainfall in the same way. In the Tana, water can travel from upstream catchments through the river and reservoir system before reaching downstream communities. In the Athi, intense rainfall can generate rapid runoff and flash flooding, particularly across urban and highly developed areas.

That is why TARDA is strengthening the warning chain through basin monitoring, county-level coordination, sharing of risk information, GIS-supported planning and collaboration with various agencies.

For communities, the message is simple:

Know your risk. Know the warning. Act early.

Preparedness is measured downstream.

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28/09/2026

📢 TARDA ON KBC CHANNEL ONE'S NEWS CHECK

Tomorrow, Tuesday, 29th September 2026, the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority Managing Director Mr. Liban Roba will feature on KBC Channel 1 TV’s News Check alongside the Kenya Red Cross Society and the Kenya Meteorological Department to discuss:

🌧️ El Niño Preparedness – Efforts to Mitigate Impact

For communities living across the Tana and Athi River Basins, preparedness is not just about the weather forecast. It is about protecting lives, homes, farms, roads, livelihoods and critical water infrastructure before heavy rains cause disruption.

The discussion will highlight the importance of early warning, anticipatory action and coordinated preparedness — helping communities understand risks early and take practical action before impacts occur.

📺 KBC Channel 1
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Tune in as TARDA brings the voice of the Tana and Athi Basins into the national conversation on preparing early, acting early and protecting communities.

28/09/2026

🌊 DAY TWO | FROM THE BOARDROOM TO MASINGA DAM

On of the benchmarking and knowledge-exchange visit, the conversation between the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority and the Zambezi River Authority moved from institutional practice to the infrastructure at the heart of river basin development — Masinga Dam.

Here, the discussion became even more practical.

The ZRA delegation visited Masinga Dam to gain first-hand insights into dam operations, infrastructure management and, importantly, dam safety.

Because when you manage water infrastructure of this scale, safety is not a technical footnote. It is a responsibility to the communities downstream, to livelihoods, to ecosystems and to the national investments that depend on these assets.

The visit provided an opportunity for technical teams to exchange experiences on dam safety considerations, monitoring, operational practices, infrastructure maintenance, risk management and the systems required to ensure that dams continue to serve their intended purpose safely and sustainably.

It also reinforced a fundamental lesson: the true test of water infrastructure is not only how much water it can hold, but how responsibly it is managed.

From the boardroom to the dam wall, the TARDA–ZRA exchange is demonstrating what meaningful benchmarking should look like — moving beyond presentations to see, question, examine and learn from systems in practice.

Different rivers. Different infrastructure. Different operating environments.

But one shared responsibility: protecting water infrastructure and the people who depend on it.

We're excited for what the future holds for TARDA AND ZRA!
🇰🇪🌊🇿🇲

Masinga DAM Resort

26/09/2026

🌍🤝 DAY ONE | TWO RIVER AUTHORITIES, ONE SHARED COMMITMENT TO BETTER WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The boardroom at the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority came alive yesterday as we hosted the Zambezi River Authority for of their benchmarking and knowledge-exchange visit focused on strengthening institutional practice, river basin management and sustainable development.

The engagement brings together two African institutions whose mandates are closely connected to the sustainable management and development of river basins and water infrastructure — one working across the Tana and Athi River Basins in Kenya, and the other across the Zambezi River system.

Opening the engagement, TARDA Managing Director, Mr. Liban Roba Duba represented by Director, Resource Planning and Development Irene Ndavi, started the conversation by stating that the real value of benchmarking lies in asking the practical questions: What works? What has not worked? What lessons have emerged? And what can be adapted to strengthen institutional delivery?

Eng. Munyaradzi C. Munodawafa, Chief Executive of Zambezi River Authority and Head of Delegation, also set the tone with a powerful observation: “Institutions improve when they are willing to learn from the experiences of others.”

The programme moved beyond formal presentations into practical institutional learning, with TARDA and ZRA sharing experiences on strategic and basin-based planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects, stakeholder engagement, catchment conservation, El Niño preparedness, performance management, Monitoring & Evaluation, human resource management, institutional performance and financial reporting.

The discussions also underscored an important reality at the heart of TARDA's mandate: a river basin is not simply a water channel.

It is a connected system of people, ecosystems, infrastructure, livelihoods and economic activity.

That understanding is reflected in the breadth of TARDA's work — from basin-based planning and infrastructure development to catchment conservation, community engagement, climate preparedness and institutional performance.

The ZRA delegation also shared its own experiences and approaches, reinforcing that benchmarking is a two-way exchange. The objective is not to identify a single model, but to learn from one another and identify practices that can be contextualized within each institution.

From the Tana and Athi to the Zambezi, these conversations demonstrate the value of African institutions learning from African experience — sharing knowledge, challenging ideas, strengthening systems and building relationships that can support more sustainable management of our river basins and the communities that depend on them.

Different river basins. Shared challenges. Shared learning. Stronger institutions. 🌊🇰🇪🇿🇲

25/09/2026

🌍🤝 TARDA WELCOMES THE ZAMBEZI RIVER AUTHORITY!

The exchange of knowledge across Africa’s river basins is about to begin. 🇰🇪🇿🇲

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority is delighted to host the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) for a benchmarking visit on 25–26 September 2026.

The engagement will bring together technical teams from two institutions to share experiences, approaches and practical lessons in integrated river basin planning, infrastructure development, dam operations and safety, stakeholder engagement, performance management and institutional reporting.

The programme will also include practical applications of the Authority's mandate, giving the ZRA delegation an opportunity to gain first-hand insights into the management, operations, safety, environmental management and monitoring of key water infrastructure assets in the Tana River Basin.

This is more than a benchmarking visit. It is an opportunity for African institutions to learn from one another, exchange practical solutions and strengthen cooperation in managing shared water and development priorities.

Two river authorities. One shared commitment to better water resource management and resilient communities. 🌊🤝🌍

Welcome to TARDA, ZRA! 🇰🇪🇿🇲

24/09/2026

🌊 TO UNDERSTAND A RIVER, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE WHOLE SYSTEM.

Along the Tsavo River and its confluence with the Athi River, the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority is undertaking fieldwork under the —and this is about much more than mapping a river.

Our teams are collecting water samples to assess water quality, including physical and chemical properties, heavy metals and E. coli, while also examining water quantity, usability, river morphology and flooding patterns.

But science alone does not tell the whole story.

We are listening to the communities who live with the river—people who use its water, depend on its resources and have witnessed how the river has changed over the years. We are also engaging professionals and institutions responsible for water resources, environmental protection, policy and development.

Why does this matter?

Because the Tsavo does not exist in isolation. It is part of the wider Athi River system, which carries water and connects communities, farms, ecosystems, wildlife and economic activities downstream towards the Indian Ocean.

What happens upstream can affect people downstream. Changes in water quality, availability, river behaviour and ecosystems can ultimately become questions of health, livelihoods, food security, infrastructure and resilience.

The evidence gathered through this study will help TARDA identify and prioritize projects, interventions and solutions for the Athi Basin—including new development, improvements to existing infrastructure and responses to challenges identified by the people who depend on the basin.

We are not just studying a river. We are building the evidence needed to plan its future—and the future of the communities it sustains.

🌿 Healthy rivers require us to understand the whole system, not just individual sections of it.

23/09/2026

🌿 A RIVER IS MORE THAN WATER. IT IS LIFE.

Along the Athi River, bamboo trees now stand as a small but deliberate investment in the future of the basin.

Tarda Kenya recently joined the , Nairobi Rivers Commission, Rotaract Club of Athi River and County Government of Machakos in restoring the riverbank—because degraded river systems eventually translate into degraded livelihoods, ecosystems and communities.

River restoration cannot wait for the river to fail.

Every tree rooted along the Athi is a step towards stronger riverbanks, healthier ecosystems and a more resilient basin.

Restore the river. Restore the future.

21/09/2026

Conservation and preparedness go hand in hand. As we approach the rainy season, planting trees, protecting our landscapes and taking early precautions can make a real difference in the safety and resilience of our communities.

Thank you, Meru TV Kenya for enabling the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority to spread this message to our communities in Meru and beyond. At TARDA, we remain committed to translating environmental knowledge and early warnings into practical action across the Tana and Athi basins.

TARDA Urges Kenyans to Plant Trees, Stay Safe

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA) has urged Kenyans to plant trees and stay alert as the rainy season approaches. Speaking on Meru TV's Rumuri Rwa Ciaca show, TARDA Regional Coordinator Joses Mugambi called on communities to promote environmental conservation through tree planting and advised quarry workers to avoid operations during heavy rains to prevent accidents caused by mudslides and collapsing soil.