Rains to ease this week after weekend floods kill 42

Nairobians find their way to work after sudden short morning rains in the City on March 16, 2023. [Elvis Ogina,Standard]

Rain is expected to reduce in intensity and coverage this week, following a weekend of heavy downpours that triggered floods, killed 42 people, and caused damage on a devastating scale.

In its latest weather forecast covering March 10–16, the Kenya Meteorological Department predicted a drier week ahead but warned of isolated heavy rains across the country.

"Rainfall is expected to reduce in spatial coverage and intensity across several parts of the country. However, occasional rainfall is likely to continue over several areas in the southern parts of the country," the department said in a statement on Monday.

"Despite the general reduction, isolated heavy rainfall events may still occur in parts of Nairobi, Central, Western, Lake Victoria Basin, Rift Valley, South Coast, and South-eastern Lowlands."

The coming week is also expected to be warmer, with temperatures reaching highs of 30 degrees Celsius, particularly along the Coast, South-eastern Lowlands, and North-eastern and North-Western Kenya.

Cold nights, however, will persist, with lows of 10 degrees Celsius forecast for Central, Rift Valley, and areas around Mount Kilimanjaro.

The March rains turned deadly on Friday, with Nairobi bearing the heaviest toll after 26 people were killed as floodwaters swept through various parts of the city.

10 more deaths were recorded in counties within the former Eastern region.

Government data shows that up to 207 people were injured, 607 livestock lost, and significant damage inflicted on public infrastructure, with schools and other services disrupted.

Earlier advisories from the meteorological department and the Red Cross cautioned that flooding remains a risk even as rains ease, given that soils may still be waterlogged.

"The expected rains are likely to still cause flooding as the soils are saturated from prolonged wet spells since towards the end of February," the met department said.

The government's multi-agency disaster response team urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground to avoid further harm.

Meanwhile, Kenyans have voiced frustration over the national and county governments' response to the floods, citing a lack of coordinated action to assist victims on Friday and Saturday despite advance warnings from weather monitoring agencies.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, speaking in a television interview, expressed confidence that a newly signed Sh80 billion Cooperation Agreement with the national government would help address the city's chronic drainage problems, weaknesses that the latest floods have once again laid bare across urban centres nationwide.