2024-04-30 17:41:18
Kenyan President William Ruto announced Tuesday that he had mobilized the army and ordered the evacuation of people living in areas at risk of flooding in the country, hit by torrential rains which have killed at least 171 people since March.
The head of state announced these “preventive measures” in the town of Mai Mahiu (center), where he visited those affected by the deadliest episode since the start of the rainy season.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, a natural dam located a few kilometers away burst under the effect of the accumulation of rain, releasing a powerful torrent of muddy water which swept away several villages below.
“More than 48 people were found dead, including children and the elderly. Around 26 people are still hospitalized,” he said, while search operations for victims continue.
A previous report communicated Tuesday morning to AFP reported 47 dead and 76 missing.
Like many of its neighbors in East Africa, Kenya experiences a particularly violent rainy season due to the El Niño climatic phenomenon which amplifies precipitation.
“The (weather) forecast indicates that the rain will continue and the likelihood of flooding and loss of life is real. So we need to take preventive measures,” William Ruto said, saying a total of 171 people had perished in the country since the beginning in March.
“The army has been mobilized, (…) all security agencies have been mobilized to help the citizens of these areas to evacuate in order to avoid any risk of loss of life,” he added.
These evacuations, voluntary or forced if necessary, must be carried out within 48 hours, said a government press release.
Threat to two dams
According to figures published Tuesday by the Interior Ministry, as of April 29, more than 150,000 people had been displaced since the start of the rainy season.
The government has warned of the situation of two of the country’s main dams, Masinga and Kiambere, located respectively 100 and 180 kilometers northeast of Nairobi, whose levels “have reached historic highs”.
A deterioration of the situation “might worsen an already disastrous situation” in the downstream counties of Garissa and Tana River (east), he emphasizes.
In the west, the waters of Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest lake – also overflowed.
Last week, the capital Nairobi was the scene of flash floods which left 13 people dead.
The Kenyan opposition has been criticizing for several weeks the unpreparedness and insufficient reaction of the authorities.
“The government makes big talk regarding climate change but when the threat materializes, we are caught off guard. Although the weather service accurately forecast the heavy rains and storms, there was no contingency plan” , lambasted opposition leader and veteran Kenyan politician Raila Odinga in a statement on Tuesday.
– Regional flood –
Several other East African countries are facing the devastating consequences of seasonal rains increased tenfold by El Niño, the current episode of which began in mid-2023 and might last until May, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) .
In Tanzania, at least 155 people have died in floods or landslides.
In Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, 96,000 people have been displaced by months of uninterrupted rain.
Deaths and damage were also recorded in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa (4 deaths), Rwanda (2 deaths) and Uganda (2 deaths).
El Niño causes increased temperatures, but also droughts in some parts of the world and heavy rains in others.
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