Written by: Ziad Abdel Fattah
Kenya's national police announced on Sunday that the death toll from floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Kenya has risen to 18.
Kenyan police reported in a statement that landslides had occurred in Provinces Tharaka Nethi, Elgio Marakwe and Kiambu in central and eastern Kenya following continuous heavy rainfall.
18 people died in Kenya due to rains
According to the statement, the service confirmed National Police The deaths of 18 people as a result of these incidents underscore the serious danger posed by the current weather conditions.
The country's infrastructure was damaged
Kenya, located in East Africa, has experienced heavy rainfall, which has damaged infrastructure and displaced many people, as the rainy season, which runs from March to May, reaches its peak.
As of yesterday, the death toll, according to official data, stood at at least 10 people across Kenya, while authorities warned that rising river levels could threaten communities downstream from a major hydroelectric dam system.
Seven deaths were recorded in eastern Kenya, with police saying two bridges were damaged in Kwale County on the coast and in Kitui to the east, while landslides were reported in parts of Elgeo Marakwit County in the Rift Valley.
While the rains fall within Kenya's normal rainy season, authorities say the heavy rainfall and waterlogged ground have increased the risk of flooding and landslides.
Kenya's National Highway Authority announced that traffic was disrupted after a landslide closed the Iten-Kabarnet road near Kololo, adding that repair work was underway and traffic was being diverted.
The Kenyan Red Cross said there were unconfirmed reports of missing persons and families trapped in Mukuru Kwa Ninga, a densely populated area of Nairobi, and that it was providing relief aid.
In a separate development, the Ministry of the Interior raised the alert level to maximum in the lower Tana River basin, warning that heavy rainfall in the upper reaches of the river had increased water flow into reservoirs within the Seven Forks Dam System, raising the risk of flooding in the lower reaches.
The ministry added that the Tana River Delta, home to more than 100,000 people, could be among the affected areas.
