The Kenya Meteorological Department on Friday, March 10, announced that Nairobi County will receive long rains by the third week of March.
According to a statement released on Friday, Nairobi and eight other regions in the Central part of Kenya will receive occasional rains from the weekend between Friday, March 10, and Monday, March 12.
Thereafter, the rains will intensify towards the end of March to usher in the season of long rains in Nairobi and the regions of Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kiambu, Meru and Embu.
"The rainfall is expected to increase in intensity and spread to several places towards the end of the third week of March.
"The onset of the seasonal rainfall is expected towards the end of the third week and the beginning of the fourth week of March," the statement read in part.
As regards other parts of the country, the Meteorological Department announced that parts of Western, Rift Valley and Nyanza regions - which are all considered to be agricultural areas - will receive light to moderate rain over the weekend.
The rains, the department added, will intensify towards the third week of March as well as to mark the beginning of the long rains.
Consequently, the weatherman advised farmers across the country to prepare accordingly by choosing the appropriate seeds of planting ahead of the season.
"Farmers in these areas are advised to liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture in their respective counties for advice on the appropriate seeds to plant as well as good agricultural practices to maximise their yields," the statement added.
According to the department, the rainfall expected in the country from the weekend is due to the impacts of cyclone Freddy winds from Mozambique which are expected to bring forth rainfall.
The Friday statement came days after the World Meteorological Department (WMO) on March 1 announced an impending El Nino in the country and the Horn of Africa Region beginning in April.
The announcement came at a time food supply in Kenya had been affected owing to a prolonged period of insufficient rains over the past few years.
