(3 minutes read)
Tens of thousands of people across the country had been impacted by heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides that interrupted cargo services at Mombasa Port. In recent weeks, the Horn of Africa has experienced intense rainfall linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon that has claimed dozens of lives, including at least 46 in various parts of Kenya.
At least 80,000 households in Kenya have been affected and the numbers are rising, stated Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The government was responding to “save our people” including with helicopters and other emergency services to deliver aid and rescue marooned families. The situation continued threatening lives, and the Minister urged the public to avoid floodwaters and evacuate homes in low-lying areas.
The prolonged rainfall was expected to extend into the first quarter of next year. Nine people have died in the coastal region since last week including two passengers in a car belonging to the Kenya Revenue Authority that was swept off a flooded bridge in Kwale County on Friday morning.
Kenya Railways said floods and landslides had caused an “unexpected delay” in deliveries to Mombasa port and along the cargo rail line to Nairobi. Mombasa, the country’s second-largest city, and its port and railway cargo line serve not just Kenya but also landlocked neighbours including Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/technology-innovation-will-enrich-kenyas-security-president-ruto/
British charity Save the Children on Thursday said more than 100 people, including 16 children, had died and over 700,000 had been forced out of their homes in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia due to flash flooding. The number of people displaced by heavy rains and floods in Somalia “has nearly doubled in one week” to 649,000, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in its latest figures issued on Saturday.
