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Torrential storms that have caused flash flooding across Kenya have claimed at least 81 lives this month, authorities confirmed on Sunday, as heavy rainfall continues to batter large parts of the country.
National police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement: “The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81.”
He added that flash floods had displaced around 2,690 families, while also causing extensive damage to infrastructure and property.
The capital, Nairobi, has been the worst affected region, accounting for 37 of the deaths, he said.
On Friday night, officials urged residents to evacuate several informal settlements located downstream of the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent flood risk as rising water levels threatened to overwhelm the dam’s embankment, according to local media reports. The dam, however, has so far held.
Elsewhere, two people drowned overnight in floods in Kiambu, a town near the capital, police told AFP.
Two additional deaths were recorded in the western village of Kasaka after landslides buried several homes, according to private broadcaster Citizen TV.
Meteorologists have forecast that the heavy rains will continue until Tuesday, prompting authorities to advise residents to exercise “extreme caution”.
The March downpours have repeatedly turned Nairobi’s streets into fast-flowing rivers, inundating thousands of homes and businesses.
Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who had pledged to improve drainage and road infrastructure when he assumed office in 2022.
Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events to human-induced climate change, noting that East Africa has experienced more intense rainfall and prolonged droughts over the past two decades.
