At least seventy people have died in Kenya due to floods after a period of severe drought. President William Ruto speaks of the state of emergency, which is likely to be exacerbated by incessant rains.
In hard-hit northern Kenya, nearly 40,000 families were forced to leave their homes. Many people in the area suffer from lack of food, medicine and fuel due to the destruction of many roads due to floods.
Kenya and neighboring countries Somalia and Ethiopia experienced an unprecedented drought. This is the worst drought in more than forty years. This makes it more difficult for the ground to absorb rainwater, which contributes to flooding.
The El Niño climate phenomenon, which causes sea water temperatures in certain parts of the Pacific Ocean, is also likely to contribute to extreme weather conditions.
President Ruto had said last month that the country did not need to worry about rainfall due to the El Niño phenomenon. He said there would be rain, but it would be “non-devastating.”
