In Kenya, more than 40 people have been killed in Mai Mahiu area after a dam burst today, pushing the death toll from devastating floods to more than 120. Kenyan authorities are struggling to cope with the chaotic conditions.
Heavy rains have been lashing East Africa in recent weeks as the El Nino weather pattern exacerbates seasonal rainfall. Earlier this month, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned that “heavy to very heavy” rainfall was
forecast in various parts of the country until May.
Elsewhere in the region, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Burundi while at least 58 people have died in Tanzania and several thousand made homeless.
East Africa was hit by record floods during the rainy season in late 2023. Scientists said climate change is causing more intense and frequent extreme weather events.