2024-04-30 17:41:18
Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Tuesday that he had mobilized the army and ordered the evacuation of people living in flood-prone areas of the country, hit by heavy rains that killed at least 171 people since March.
The head of state announced these “preventive measures” in the town of Mai Mahiu (centre), 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 that was located a few kilometers away burst under the effect of the accumulation of rain, releasing a powerful torrent of muddy water that swept away several villages below.
“More than 48 people were found dead, including children and elderly people. About 26 people are still in the hospital,” he said, and search operations for victims continued.
A previous report to AFP on Tuesday morning reported 47 dead and 76 missing.
Like many of its East African neighbours, Kenya experiences a very violent rainy season due to the El Niño climate phenomenon which increases precipitation.
“The (weather) forecast shows that the rain will continue and the likelihood of flooding and loss of life is real. So we must take preventive measures,” William Ruto said, adding that a total of 171 people had died in the country since then. starting in March.
“The army has been mobilized, (…) all the security agencies have been mobilized to help the citizens of these areas to evacuate to avoid any risk of loss of life,” he said.
These evacuations, voluntary or forced if necessary, must be done within 48 hours, a government press release said.
Threat to two dams
According to figures published by the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, April 29, more than 150,000 people have been displaced since the start of the rainy season.
The government has warned about the situation of two of the country’s main dams, Masinga and Kiambere, located 100 and 180 kilometers respectively north-east of Nairobi, whose levels have “reached historic highs”.
He highlights the deterioration of the situation “that it could already make a catastrophic situation” in the downstream counties of Garissa and River Tana (east).
In the west, the waters of Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest lake – also overflowed.
Last week, flash floods occurred in the capital Nairobi which left 13 people dead.
The Kenyan opposition has been criticizing for several weeks the unpreparedness and inadequate response of the authorities.
“The government talks a lot about climate change but when the threat materialises, we are caught off guard. Although the weather service made an accurate forecast of the rain and heavy storms, there was no contingency plan”, said opposition leader and former Kenyan politician, Raila Odinga. statement on Tuesday.
– Regional flood –
Several other East African countries are facing the dire consequences of El Niño’s tenfold increase in seasonal rainfall, the current episode of which began in mid-2023 and could last until May, according to the Meteorological Organization World (WMO).
In Tanzania, at least 155 people died due to floods or landslides.
In Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, 96,000 people have been displaced by months of non-stop 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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