Boys carry some of their belongings after visiting their house that were destroyed by floods following torrential rains at the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi on April 25.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week.
The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country’s western and central regions.
Kenya’s government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70.
Five bodies were retrieved Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were traveling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings ($29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details.
More than 130,000 people are currently affected with thousands of houses washed away and others flooded. Some 64 public schools in the capital were flooded and had to shut down. Roads and bridges have been damaged or destroyed.
The Kenya Meteorological Department on Friday issued a heavy rainfall advisory for the weekend and urged residents to be vigilant.
Other East African countries have reported flooding with 155 people reported to have died in neighboring Tanzania and more than 200,000 people affected in Burundi.
A man stands next to an area where houses where destroyed by torrential rains at the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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A girls looks on while standing on an area where houses were destroyed by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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Public minibus's are submerged in the flooded streets of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.The Associated Press
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Boys carry some of their belongings after visiting their house that were destroyed by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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A man carries some belongings while walking on muddy waters in an area heavily affected by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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Schoolchildren stranded on a damaged River Zingiziwa bridge in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.The Associated Press
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Men looking for their belongings after their houses were destroyed in an area hit by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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Overall view of an area heavily affected by floods following torrential rains at the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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A man works removing materials from a flooded area where houses were destroyed by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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A young girl stands at the entrance of her house that was damaged by floods following torrential rains at the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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Residents sift through the rubble as they recover their belongings after the Nairobi river burst its banks and destroyed their homes within the Mathare Valley settlement in Nairobi, Kenya April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiMonicah Mwangi/Reuters
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The Nairobi river burst its banks and destroyed homes within the Mathare Valley settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.Monicah Mwangi/Reuters
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A woman carry some of her belongings after visiting her house that was heavily affected by floods in Nairobi.LUIS TATO/Getty Images
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People sift through the rubble as they recover their belongings after the Nairobi river burst its banks after torrential rains in Nairobi, Kenya.Monicah Mwangi/Reuters
