Kenya and Tanzania face 'humanitarian crisis' amid disastrous floods

The death toll from weeks of devastating rains and floods had risen to 228 in Kenya, as authorities in the country and in neighbouring Tanzania warned that there was no sign of a let-up in the crisis.

Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania escaped major damage from a tropical cyclone that weakened after making landfall on Saturday, but the rains continue to pour.

The country continued to endure torrential downpours and the risk of further floods and landslides, the government in Nairobi said.

In western Kenya, the River Nyando burst its banks in the early hours of Sunday, engulfing a police station, school, hospital and market in the town of Ahero in Kisumu County, police said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties but local police said water levels were still rising and that the main bridge outside Kisumu on the highway to Nairobi was submerged.

Weeks of heavier than usual seasonal rains, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern, have wreaked chaos in many parts of East Africa, a region highly vulnerable to climate change.

More than 400 people have been killed and several hundred thousand uprooted from their homes in several countries as floods and mudslides swamp houses, roads and bridges.

Schools closed

Schools remain closed, one of RFI's correspondent reported. Children will be able to catch up on classes, the Education minister told her.

President William Ruto went to the area of Mathare in the capital to reassure the population.

Concerns of 'wider humanitarian crisis'

Read more on RFI English

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