Kenya's rail operator halts cargo services to Mombasa port after floods

People wade through flood waters along a street following heavy rains in Kisauni district of Mombasa, Kenya November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenyan President William Ruto announced Saturday that the government will avail additional funds and deploy the military to bolster the response to raging floods linked to the ongoing El Nino rains.

After chairing a multi-agency meeting in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Ruto said the government has set aside 2.4 billion shillings (about 15.69 million U.S. dollars) for emergency assistance to flood victims.

The death toll from flooding has climbed to 70, Ruto said, adding that 36,160 households have been displaced as a result of torrential rains pounding the country.

"The ongoing rains have resulted in an emergency in the country. Trucks have been stuck with food, medicine, and fuel. Roads have been destroyed especially in northern Kenya," Ruto said.

Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia are among some of the Horn of African nations that are currently grappling with severe flooding linked to the El-Nino weather phenomenon.

The three nations have just emerged from a prolonged dry spell marked by five failed consecutive rainy seasons which decimated crops, livestock, and livelihoods of civilians.

According to the latest weather forecast from the Kenya Meteorological Department, the El-Nino rains could extend to January 2024 and will likely cause havoc in urban centers and semi-arid lowlands.

Besides the loss of lives, cattle, and food crops, the El-Nino rains have destroyed roads and bridges in the semi-arid northern, southeastern, and coastal counties, disconnecting them from the rest of the country.

Ruto said a multi-agency response team that includes the military will commence airlifting of food, clean water, medicine, and temporary shelter to flood victims.

He said that state departments, including water, energy, roads, and health, have been activated to monitor the situation and deploy emergency aid to households stranded by floods.

Ruto said the El Nino rains were expected to intensify in the coming days, leading to landslides and overflow of dams and rivers while posing danger to communities downstream.

He appealed to residents of landslide-prone highlands to relocate to safer grounds, adding that communities living close to river banks would be evacuated to shield them from floods.