
Audio By Carbonatix
At least 62 people have died in Kenya over the past week after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, the authorities say.
The previous death toll, released a week ago, was 42.
Overnight, 11 people were rescued after a minibus taxi, known locally as a matatu, got stuck as water rose in the capital Nairobi, according to the Kenya Red Cross, while two children were saved from a flooded house.
The heavy rainfall over the past week has triggered flash floods not seen in years. Rivers have burst their banks, flooding homes and damaging roads, power- and water- lines.
Some roads have been closed after bridges were damaged in Nairobi, while some schools were also flooded after Saturday's downpour.
The Interior Ministry warned on Sunday that different parts of the country were continuing to experience heavy rains, increasing the risk of flooding.
The authorities have urged residents in low-lying areas to move to safer ground and more than 2,000 people have had to leave their homes to seek shelter.
Police say that search and rescue operations are continuing following the "torrential rain and subsequent devastating flooding affecting various parts of the country".
More than half of those killed - 33 - have been in Nairobi, where poor drainage has been a major factor, along with the obstruction of rivers caused by unregulated development.
President William Ruto on Sunday said that emergency food supplies and medical assistance were being delivered to those affected.
He also said that the authorities were clearing blocked drainage systems.
The flooding has not just affected Kenya.
More than 100 people have been killed in neighbouring Ethiopia following floods and landslides in the south of the country.
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
Latest Stories
-
Security agencies have been the biggest abusers of constitutional rights of Ghanaians – Justice Abdulai
16 minutes -
How a stranger ‘miraculously’ gave me his house when I arrived in the US – Prof. Antwi shares
16 minutes -
Ghana Battalion 14 completes reconnaissance mission ahead of UN peacekeeping deployment in South Sudan
59 minutes -
HAWA Project Manager calls for climate-responsive humanitarian systems as extreme weather intensifies
1 hour -
KMA ‘samansaman’ arrests 13 over poor sanitary practices in their homes
1 hour -
KAIPTC opens HAWA 2026, calls for stronger regional cooperation to tackle West Africa’s humanitarian crises
1 hour -
Nearly one in five Ghanaians may be living with chronic kidney disease as cases surge nationwide
1 hour -
Big Push: Rehabilitation of 81.3km of roads in Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam reaches 73% completion
1 hour -
NPP alleges political frustration in Hanan’s arrest case
1 hour -
73% of CEOs bullish about economy but worried of technology risks – PwC
1 hour -
Interior Minister urges immigration commanders to strengthen coordination against emerging security threats
1 hour -
Ghana Armed Forces launches three-week security exercise in Nkwanta and Bawku
1 hour -
Eight rescued from seaplane that made ‘hard landing’ in Manhattan river
1 hour -
Ex-Syrian intelligence chief found guilty of torture and sexual abuse by Austrian court
1 hour -
Nexus Global Services holds workshop to prepare kidney patients for transplants
1 hour