Flooding in Kenya’s capital Nairobi kills 42, doubles previous toll, as emergency teams search for victims and President Ruto orders food aid.
NAIROBI: The death toll from devastating floods in Kenya has nearly doubled to 42.
Intense rains on Friday caused widespread flooding in Nairobi and other areas, leading to drownings, sweeping away vehicles, and disrupting traffic at the country’s largest airport.
The previous confirmed death toll stood at 23.
Emergency workers from multiple agencies, including the military, are continuing search and rescue operations nationwide.
“Search mission is still in progress by the multi agency emergency response teams with the aim of ensuring that bodies of all the flood victims are found and retrieved,” said Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku, the minister for public service and human capital development.
The floods have caused extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
Authorities have recovered 172 vehicles that were swept away by the floodwaters.
President William Ruto has ordered the immediate release of relief food from national strategic reserves for distribution to affected families.
Scientists link the increasing severity of such events to global warming, which concentrates rainfall into shorter, more intense bursts.
A 2024 World Weather Attribution study found climate change had made devastating rains in East Africa twice as likely.
