At least 88 confirmed dead as torrential rain wreaks havoc across Kenya

Government officials have confirmed close to 90 deaths after torrential rains battered large swaths of Kenya in March and caused flooding that submerged entire villages. 

What's happening?

On March 22, authorities confirmed to Agence France-Presse that flash floods had killed at least 81 people in a period of weeks.

In Kisumu county, one of the hardest-hit regions in western Kenya, the raging waters overtook everything, destroying 3,000 acres of farmland and threatening food production. Tens of thousands have been displaced, according to the Associated Press, including from Kenya's largest city and capital, Nairobi.

On March 24, the AP reported that the number of deaths had risen to 88 after two rivers burst their banks. Officials warned that residents should take "extreme caution" and avoid flooded roads as they navigate the widespread destruction and high waters.

"We are migrating because the place where we were staying is badly flooded," Kennedy Oguta, 50, told AFP. "We still don't know where we are going to get shelter with our animals because there is no house or home that is not flooded." 

Why are the floods so severe?

Parts of East Africa — including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia — have increasingly experienced "weather whiplash" characterized by cycles of intense flooding and drought, as global temperatures rise, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. 

To be sure, natural phenomena, like La Niña, and other complex factors can influence weather, making it difficult to attribute an extreme event solely to a warming climate. 

Still, scientists warn that air pollution is exacerbating conditions that make floods, wildfires, and storms more frequent, more destructive, and harder to predict. 

This pattern is not only occurring in East Africa but also globally. 

What's being done about the flooding in Kenya?

Back in 2022, Johnson Sakaja, Governor of Nairobi County, promised to improve the area's drainage and road infrastructure, but calls are growing for new leadership after the floods, AFP reported. 

In the meantime, Sky News noted that the Kenya Red Cross Society is ramping up rescue operations in the "worst-hit areas," evacuating hundreds of people and animals. Public facilities, including government buildings, churches, and health clinics, are housing displaced residents.   

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