Close to 4,000 Families Displaced by Flooding in Kenya

Nairobi, Dec 3 (NationPress) Approximately 4,000 households have been affected by flooding in Kenya, according to a government official on Tuesday.

Raymond Omollo, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, noted that the worst-hit families are located in the western regions of the nation.

"Busia and Kisumu counties have experienced the most severe impacts due to intense rainfall over the last week, resulting in the displacement of 3,970 households. The flooding is primarily linked to the overflow of the Nzoia, Nyando, Yala, Miriu, and Awach rivers," Omollo stated in a declaration made in the capital, Nairobi.

He further mentioned that as part of a long-term initiative, the government plans to relocate at-risk communities to improved housing and redesign 30-meter riparian corridors along rivers and significant water bodies to mitigate future displacements.

Omollo assured that the government will assist the affected communities, who are currently residing in camps established at various schools, as the rains continue to batter the East African nation, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.

The Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional organization, had predicted in November that eight countries in the Horn of Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, would experience above-average rainfall, leading to floods.

According to the ICPAC, regions in Kenya are forecasted to receive between 50 and 200 mm of rain per day, with communities in vulnerable areas advised to remain vigilant during this time.

In 2023, approximately 270 individuals lost their lives and over 900,000 were displaced due to flooding across the Horn of Africa, stated the ICPAC.