Authorities say 26 folks died within the capital since Friday as floodwaters submerged houses and carried away automobiles.
Revealed On 9 Mar 2026
At the least 42 folks have been killed in days of floods throughout Kenya, the federal government has mentioned.
Heavy rains have triggered flash floods throughout a number of areas of the nation since Friday.
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Kenya’s Public Service and Particular Programmes Minister Geoffrey Ruku instructed reporters on Sunday that police had documented 42 deaths since then, together with 26 within the capital, Nairobi.
Police mentioned deaths have been reported in a number of counties as torrential rains battered giant components of the nation over the weekend, flooding roads and disrupting transport and every day actions in a number of cities. The floods had additionally achieved in depth harm to infrastructure and livelihoods.
In Nairobi, floodwaters swept by low-lying neighbourhoods and casual settlements, submerging houses and carrying away automobiles as rivers overflowed their banks.
Kenya Airways additionally mentioned the rains had disrupted flights to Nairobi and pressured some to divert to the coastal metropolis of Mombasa.
On Saturday, assist staff pulled our bodies from floodwaters throughout the capital.
Kenyan President William Ruto mentioned he had deployed a crew of emergency responders, together with troopers, to coordinate rescue efforts, whereas providing condolences to the affected communities.
“I’ve additionally ordered that aid meals from our nationwide strategic reserves be instantly launched and distributed to households affected by the floods,” he mentioned in an announcement on social media on Saturday.
“As well as, the Authorities will meet the hospital payments of these injured or affected by the flooding and presently receiving therapy in public well being services,” Ruto wrote.
Authorities mentioned the assist goals to ease the burden on households affected by the tragedy.
“These floods as soon as once more spotlight the pressing want for lasting options to the perennial problem of flooding in our city areas,” the president mentioned.
Scientists say world warming is worsening floods and droughts throughout East Africa by concentrating rainfall into shorter, extra intense bursts.
Neighbouring nations like Somalia and Ethiopia are additionally affected.
A 2024 World Climate Attribution examine discovered local weather change had made devastating rains within the area twice as doubtless as earlier than.
The Kenyan Pink Cross mentioned a whole bunch of households in neighbouring counties had additionally been affected, and huge swaths of farmland destroyed.
“I’d name for joint efforts between the federal government humanitarian companies to cope with this drawback, and to know why we’re having this havoc,” Pink Cross spokesman Munir Ahmed instructed the AFP information company.
