Flood in Kenya kills four

2005-05-05 11:07

Nairobi - Floods caused by heavy rains killed at least four people and displaced thousands in Kenya, officials said on Thursday as heavy rain continued to pound parts of the east African nation.

Last week, four people drowned in north-eastern Kenya, where at least 25 000 Somalis in refugee camps were left homeless by heavy rains, said the region's police commander Gabriel Ndolo.

At least 300 families have been displaced and at least 300 animals washed way in eastern Kenya's Isiolo district, said Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) spokesperson Anthony Mwangi.

In western Kenya, rains caused the Nyando River — which drains into Lake Victoria — to burst its banks, affecting several hundred families and forcing President Mwai Kibaki to postpone a planned visit to the region.

"The rains that are forecast to intensify in the next few days have become unpredictable and could severely disrupt the timings of the planned rallies and air and road travel by the presidential entourage," announced Kibaki's office.

Last week, a Somali refugee was killed, three others wounded and 25 000 displaced when flooding swept through a United Nations (UN) camp in north-eastern Kenya, where some 53 000 Somalis are now living, the UN said.

Ifo is one of three sites making up the larger Dadaab refugee camp near the Kenya-Somalia border and some of the displaced from Ifo are now living with relatives on higher ground at the other two locations.

Similar rains killed at least 50 people and displaced tens of thousands across Kenya last year.

- AFP