Kenya has received Ksh150 million donation from the United States government to support flood response and mitigation efforts.
Speaking during the flagging off ceremony, US Ambassador Meg Whitman said Ksh38 million will go directly to the Kenya Red Cross, which received additional food and non-food items from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to the government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, 174 people have lost their lives due to the ongoing El Nino rains.
Mwaura said six more Kenyans had lost their lives in the last 3 days as a result of the heavy rains and flooding in the country.
The six include a mother and child in Ngurunga Village in Kiambu County, and 4 miners in Bukira North, Migori County.
Mwaura noted that on Monday heavy rains pounded Kitui County damaging several roads and killing 56 goats. Additionally, 76 households comprising approximately 380 people were displaced.
“We have set up an additional camp to accommodate the displaced. This now raises the total camps to 170 nationally, with 109, 179 households comprising about 545, 895 people displaced so far,” he said.
The Governments Spokesperson warned that Tana River water levels had risen significantly from 3.4m to 4.8m over the weekend leading to spillage on the Madogo-Garissa Road.
“Although the road remains passable, the increased water levels pose challenges and we advise motorists to be very vigilant and adhere to subsequent alerts,” said Mwaura.
Meanwhile, two of the three damaged sections of the Garsen-Lamu road have been rock-filled by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) while the repair of the third section is ongoing.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has predicted more rains in South Coast, especially in Kilifi County,
