Kenya battered by bad weather

Kenya has been beset by severe bad weather since March 2024, a situation that is likely to continue over the coming days.

As of 5 May 2024, 228 people were reported dead and 72 missing, while more than 212 000 were forcibly displaced.

Tropical cyclone “Hidaya”, which hit Kenya and Tanzania on 4 May 2024, did not result in any major damage.

Nairobi and other parts of the country, however, are still facing torrential rains that are likely to trigger further flooding and landslides.

In the town of Ahero, in Kisumu county in the western part of the country, a river burst its banks, flooding a police station, a hospital and a market.

The Kenyan Government has ordered anyone living near a large river to evacuate the area. The Ministry also warned of the risk of water-borne diseases (cholera, diarrhea, etc.).

The heavy rainfall that has been afflicting Kenya and other East African countries for several weeks now has been exacerbated by global warming, associated with the el Niño weather phenomenon.