Cyclone Hidaya bears down on flood-hit Kenya, Tanzania

Winds exceeding 40 knots and waves of over two metres are being felt offshore. [iStockphoto]

Beaches were deserted and many shops closed on Saturday as heavy rains and winds from a tropical cyclone buffeted coastal areas of Tanzania and Kenya.

Both countries have gone on alert for Tropical Cyclone Hidaya, after weeks of torrential rains and floods that have wreaked havoc in many parts of East Africa and claimed more than 400 lives.