Extreme weather
March 24, 2026, 4:05 p.mMarch 24, 2026, 4:05 p.m
Kenyans are fighting their way through the floods.Image: keystone
According to the Interior Ministry, at least 88 people have already died in the East African country after heavy rains in Kenya. More than 34,000 people have had to flee from the floodwaters so far.
The annual rainy season, which usually begins in the second half of March, began a month earlier this year and was very heavy. In the greater Nairobi area and in western Kenya, streets quickly turned into raging rivers, surprising pedestrians and drivers alike. Some were swept away and drowned in these incidents, while others suffered fatal electric shocks from exposed or torn cables.
In western Kenya, the Nyando River overflowed its banks and flooded numerous streets around Kisumu, the country’s third largest city. In Nairobi, the authorities had already asked residents of low-lying parts of the city to leave their houses and apartments over the weekend because of fears that a river dike would break and these areas would be flooded. The Kenya Red Cross reported the evacuation of students from at-risk schools in western Kenya.
As a result of climate change, extreme weather events are also increasing in the East African country – with very different phenomena: While people in the west and in the densely populated capital Nairobi are worried about torrential rain, the north of the country has been suffering from drought for months. (sda/dpa)