NAIROBI, Kenya: Tanzania and Kenya braced for a storm on Thursday after torrential rains ravaged East Africa, killing more than 350 people and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.
According to the country’s interior ministry, in addition to claiming 188 lives in Kenya since March, the floods have displaced 165,000 people, with 90 reported missing. The government has warned citizens to remain on alert.
“Crucially, the coastal region is likely to experience Cyclone Hidaya, which will result in heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean,” said the office of Kenyan President William Ruto.
Neighbouring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in landslides and flooding, is also expected to feel the force of Hidaya.
“The presence of Hidaya Cyclone… is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some Regions near Indian Ocean,” Tanzania Red Cross Society said on X.
Separately, the Kenya Meteorological Department said on X that capital Nairobi is among the areas expected to suffer heavy rains over the next two days.
The heavier than usual rains have also claimed at least 29 lives in Burundi, with 175 people injured, and tens of thousands out of homes since September 2023, according to the United Nations.
President Ruto, earlier this week, announced he was deploying Kenya’s military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone regions.
The interior ministry, in a bulletin released Thursday evening, ordered anyone living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled up or near filled up dams or water reservoirs” to vacate the area within 24 hours, warning that they would otherwise face “mandatory evacuation for their safety.”
Politicians from the opposition parties and lobby groups have accused Ruto’s government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings.
In travel warnings for Kenya, the United States and Britain have urged their nationals to be cautious amid the extreme weather.
