Storms and flash floods turned roads into gushing rivers and flooded homes with waist-deep muddy water in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, killing at least 10 people.
The East African region has been hit by incessant downpours in recent weeks, as the El Niño weather phenomenon exacerbates seasonal rainfall.
Across Nairobi, vehicles were stranded in the deluge and people waded through floodwaters in slums to safety.
According to the Nairobi County Governor’s Office, around 60,000 people, mostly women and children, were “severely affected” by the floods.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned that “heavy to very heavy” rains are forecast in various parts of the country until May.
In one incident on Wednesday, police fired tear gas to disperse angry residents who had blocked a main highway with long lines of cars calling for government action on the flooding.
Kenya Railways said it was temporarily suspending commuter train services, while the roads authority said four routes in the capital had been partially closed.
Houses were submerged in Nairobi’s sprawling Mathare slum, with residents rushing to rooftops to save their lives and property.
The Red Cross said the Athi River, Kenya’s second longest, which runs from south of Nairobi to the Indian Ocean, had overflowed, blocking roads and leaving residents stranded.
In central Nairobi, where many government and parliament offices are located, a main avenue was blocked by fallen trees.
Elsewhere in the region, nearly 100,000 people were displaced in Burundi, while at least 58 people died in Tanzania and several thousand were left homeless.
El Niño often has devastating consequences in East Africa, a region already hit by repeated climatic shocks.
