Kenya floods kill 13, displace 15,000

Flash floods triggered by torrential rain killed 13 people and displaced some 15,000 in Kenya, the UN said.

Heavy rain is expected to continue in the upcoming days further complicating rescue efforts in the east African country, where previous floods have killed a similar number of people in the lake regions and downstream of major rivers.

The Kenya Red Cross Society’s secretary general, Ahmed Idris, told Citizen TV that “lifesaving assistance” including shelter and clean drinking water was being offered to those displaced and living in camps to avert outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

In December, heavy rainfalls have forced millions of people in East Africa to abandon their houses; there were more than 200 casualties.

In Kenia alone, over half a million people are affected by the floodings.

The intense rain was caused by weather phenomena like El Niño, which have led to extreme weather this year, as well as the increasing effects of climate change.