Storms that triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people so far this month, authorities said, as rain continued to pound much of the country. In the capital Nairobi, one of the hardest hit areas, the governor has come under fire for bad planning, with calls for him to resign.
Issued on: 23/03/2026 - RFI
Residents walk through a flooded area in West Nyakach, Kisumu County, on 22 March, 2026. AFP - BRIAN ONGORO
Torrential rains continue to cause widespread damage across Kenya for the third week running.
Eighty-one people have lost their lives in the floods since the beginning of March, according to the latest police figures released on Sunday. More than 2,000 families have been displaced.
"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement. "Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."
The capital, Nairobi, remains the hardest-hit area with 37 people killed. With heavy rains expected to continue, residents living along the rivers remain on high alert.
The rain is forecast to continue until at least Tuesday, prompting authorities to call for "extreme caution".
From Nairobi to western Kenya
In the Mukuru Kayaba slum of Nairobi, the Ngong River overflowed its banks on the nights of 6-7 and 14-15 March, causing flash floods.
Dorothy Mathai saw her home submerged twice. "I’m very scared; I can’t sleep anymore," she told RFI's correspondent in Nairobi. "I regularly check the river to see if the level is rising."
On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighbourhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media. The dam has held so far.
Torrential rains continue to cause widespread damage across Kenya for the third week running.
Eighty-one people have lost their lives in the floods since the beginning of March, according to the latest police figures released on Sunday. More than 2,000 families have been displaced.
"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement. "Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."
The capital, Nairobi, remains the hardest-hit area with 37 people killed. With heavy rains expected to continue, residents living along the rivers remain on high alert.
The rain is forecast to continue until at least Tuesday, prompting authorities to call for "extreme caution".
From Nairobi to western Kenya
In the Mukuru Kayaba slum of Nairobi, the Ngong River overflowed its banks on the nights of 6-7 and 14-15 March, causing flash floods.
Dorothy Mathai saw her home submerged twice. "I’m very scared; I can’t sleep anymore," she told RFI's correspondent in Nairobi. "I regularly check the river to see if the level is rising."
On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighbourhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media. The dam has held so far.
A fisherman tries to catch fish in a flooded area in West Nyakach, Kisumu County, on 22 March , 2026, after torrential storms that have triggered flash floods have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday. AFP - BRIAN ONGORO
In the country's hard-hit west, residents waded through flood waters with their belongings on their heads and evacuated in crowded boats, reporters from French news agency AFP saw.
Flash floods submerged entire villages in Kisumu county, destroying around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of farmland and sweeping away crops.
More than 3,000 families have been forced from their homes in the community of Nyakach, with some sheltering in eight evacuation centres, locals said, as rising waters from the overflowing River Mirui continue to threaten the community.
"We have lost quite a number of farmlands with massive erosion, and the farm plants that we had planted," said the chief of Nyakach, Seth Oluoch Agwanda, 57.
Two people also drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP. Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.
In Nyakach, in the west, children walked through knee-high water and residents scooped water from inundated houses, while some were submerged up to the roof.
"We are migrating because the place where we were staying is badly flooded. We still don't know where we are going to get shelter with our animals because there is no house or home that is not flooded," Kennedy Oguta, 50, told AFP.
'They should plan better'
Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. He had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022, but the improvement wasn't made.
"The government should have a plan, whether it's to relocate us or to open the dam to let the water through. They should plan better," Clinton Kissia, told RFI from Mukuru Kayaba.
Anger is growing against the authorities. The governor of the capital has just ordered the demolition of illegal constructions on the banks of rivers, which are being singled out as reducing the flow of water and the absorption capacity of the riverbanks.
Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades. Scientists also say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.
(with AFP)
In the country's hard-hit west, residents waded through flood waters with their belongings on their heads and evacuated in crowded boats, reporters from French news agency AFP saw.
Flash floods submerged entire villages in Kisumu county, destroying around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of farmland and sweeping away crops.
More than 3,000 families have been forced from their homes in the community of Nyakach, with some sheltering in eight evacuation centres, locals said, as rising waters from the overflowing River Mirui continue to threaten the community.
"We have lost quite a number of farmlands with massive erosion, and the farm plants that we had planted," said the chief of Nyakach, Seth Oluoch Agwanda, 57.
Two people also drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP. Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.
In Nyakach, in the west, children walked through knee-high water and residents scooped water from inundated houses, while some were submerged up to the roof.
"We are migrating because the place where we were staying is badly flooded. We still don't know where we are going to get shelter with our animals because there is no house or home that is not flooded," Kennedy Oguta, 50, told AFP.
'They should plan better'
Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. He had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022, but the improvement wasn't made.
"The government should have a plan, whether it's to relocate us or to open the dam to let the water through. They should plan better," Clinton Kissia, told RFI from Mukuru Kayaba.
Anger is growing against the authorities. The governor of the capital has just ordered the demolition of illegal constructions on the banks of rivers, which are being singled out as reducing the flow of water and the absorption capacity of the riverbanks.
Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades. Scientists also say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.
(with AFP)
No comments:
Post a Comment