Weeks of heavy rain in Kenya pushes flood death toll past 120

 

At least 71 people have been confirmed dead and 110 people are in hospital following floods near the town of Mai Mahiu in Kenya’s north-western Nakuru county, Nakuru governor Susan Kihika confirmed to CNN on Monday.

According to Kihika, flooding in the region was exacerbated by the bursting of a dam, though locals and first responders have told CNN that the disaster was caused by water blowing through a tunnel under a railway bridge with a clogged culvert.

Kenya has grappled with weeks of heavy rains and devastating flash floods.

 

The rains have filled hydroelectric dams to capacity, threatening a massive downstream overflow, a government spokesperson warned.

 

Earlier on Monday, the Kenya Red Cross said it had taken several people in the area to a health facility due to flash flooding.

 

Kenyan officials are finding it difficult to control the chaotic situation. East Africa has been battered by intense rains in recent weeks due to the El Nino weather pattern intensifying seasonal precipitation.

 

According to official statistics, nearly 131,000 people had been displaced and 76 people had died on Saturday. Nationwide, bridges and roadways have been devastated by the floods.

The Kenya Airports Authority said on Sunday that although a road underpass at the international airport in the nation's capital, Nairobi, was flooded, operations continued as usual.

 

The government postponed the start of the new school semester by one week on Monday.

 

“The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools is so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety of all affected school communities,” the Ministry of Education said.

 

Earlier this month, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned that “heavy to very heavy” rainfall was forecast in various parts of the country until May.

 

In Tanzania, at least 58 people have perished and several thousand have been left homeless, while approximately 100,000 people have been displaced in Burundi.

 

Record-breaking floods struck East Africa in late 2023 during the rainy season. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change, according to scientists.