Some 120 people died in the floods which submerged many regions of Kenya, a government official announced on Tuesday, November 28, while a previous report showed 76 victims.
While a previous report reported 76 victims, a Kenyan government official announced this Tuesday, November 28, 2023 that some 120 people died in the floods that are submerging many regions of Kenya, reports AFP. More than 89,000 families have been displaced and are taking refuge in 112 camps, Raymond Omollo, a senior official at the Ministry of the Interior, said in a statement.
Rains on the heels of one of the worst droughts on record
Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia have been swept for several weeks by torrential rains linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon in the wake of one of the worst droughts recorded in this region of the Horn of Africa for 40 years.
President William Ruto held an emergency meeting of his government on Monday, November 27, and pledged to spend the equivalent of millions of euros to help the victims. In a press release released after this crisis meeting, the Kenyan presidency reported 76 deaths and more than 35,000 displaced families.
“The above-normal precipitation, resulting from El Niño, caused large-scale flooding, which unfortunately led to loss of life, the displacement of families, the appearance of epidemic outbreaks, the destruction of infrastructure and goods,” detailed the Kenyan presidency.
