During Rainy Nights, Rivers of Death Crash Down in Nakuru, Kenya

The village near Nakuru, Kenya, was still reeling from the unexpected and deadly flood that struck in the dead of night. The torrential rains and flooding that have ravaged the country since March have claimed at least 103 lives, with the Rift Valley being the worst-hit region. The Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, estimated the death toll, saying “the Rift Valley being the worst hit”.

The flood, which occurred at the Old Kijabe dam, a naturally formed hillside barrier, sent massive amounts of water gushing down a hill, engulfing everything in its path. The deluge cut off a road, destroyed homes, and overturned vehicles. Residents said they heard a sound like an earthquake and roars like a moving train before dawn.

Rescuers are still scouring the debris, using shovels and their bare hands, to look for survivors. “We collected some of the bodies held by trees, and we don’t know how many are under the mud,” said Stephen Njihia Njoroge, who was involved in the emergency efforts. So far, 45 bodies have been recovered, while 110 people are being treated in hospital.

The government has ordered an investigation into the disaster and has warned individuals and organizations engaging in “risky behavior” to stop. The Interior Minister, Kithure Kindiki, said authorities would arrest anybody attempting to cross flooded rivers or carrying passengers through unsafe canoes or boats.

This disaster comes after the government witnessed a boat capsizing in a flooded river in Tana River County, killing at least two people, and another incident in Makueni County, where a truck full of people plunged into a river, resulting in seven fatalities.

Further afield, hundreds of people have been affected by the severe weather in neighboring countries including Tanzania, where at least 155 people have lost their lives in flooding and landslides, and Ethiopia, where four people died due to heavy rainfall. In Rwanda, a woman and her baby died in a house that collapsed during the rains, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by heavy rainfall in Burundi.

The failure of the Old Kijabe dam is eerily reminiscent of a similar incident that occurred six years ago at Solai, in the same county, which killed 48 people. The May 2018 disaster, caused by a private reservoir on a coffee estate, also followed weeks of heavy rainfall.

El Niño is a climate pattern typically associated with increased heat, leading to drought in some parts and heavy rains in others. As of April 23, 2024, the rains have affected hundreds of thousands of people, according to Jagan Chapagain, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.