The death toll from severe flooding triggered by days of heavy rain across Kenya has climbed to 62 people, including eight children, as authorities and rescue teams continue searching for victims in submerged neighborhoods, police said Saturday.
The flooding has hit the capital Nairobi particularly hard, where officials confirmed 33 fatalities, the highest number reported in any region.
Police released the updated casualty figure in a statement posted on the social media platform X, noting that the number of victims could still rise as recovery operations continue.
Authorities said more than 2,000 families across the country have been forced from their homes as floodwaters inundated communities and destroyed property.
Emergency officials reported that intense rainfall continues to affect several regions, raising fears that conditions could worsen in the coming days.
Displaced families have sought refuge in temporary shelters while aid agencies work to provide food, water and other basic supplies.
Rescue workers began retrieving bodies from floodwaters in Nairobi last weekend after sudden overnight flash floods swept through large sections of the city.
The surging water carried away vehicles, inundated residential areas and caused widespread disruption to transportation.
Officials said dozens of cars were swept away by fast-moving currents during the initial flooding.
The extreme weather also disrupted operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the busiest aviation hub in East Africa.
Flights experienced delays and operational challenges as heavy rainfall and flooding affected airport infrastructure.
Authorities had initially reported 42 deaths last Sunday as emergency teams began assessing the scale of the disaster.
Since then, additional bodies have been recovered in flooded neighborhoods and riverbanks, pushing the official death toll to 62.
Police said search efforts remain ongoing in areas where floodwaters have receded, as responders continue to comb debris-filled streets and waterways.
Kenya often experiences heavy rains during seasonal weather patterns, but recent storms have produced particularly intense downpours.
Meteorologists say saturated ground and poor drainage in densely populated urban areas such as Nairobi can rapidly turn heavy rain into destructive flooding.
Low-lying settlements and informal housing areas are especially vulnerable, with limited infrastructure to channel excess water away from residential communities.
Government agencies, emergency responders and humanitarian groups have been working to assist victims and restore access to damaged areas.
Officials say displaced residents are receiving emergency relief while authorities assess the damage to homes, roads and utilities.
However, continued rainfall threatens to complicate rescue and recovery operations.
The disaster has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of rapidly expanding cities in East Africa to extreme weather events.
Urban growth in Nairobi has outpaced infrastructure improvements in many areas, leaving drainage systems overwhelmed during heavy storms.
Climate experts have also warned that rising global temperatures may increase the intensity of rainfall events in parts of Africa, heightening the risk of flash floods and other natural disasters.
For now, emergency crews remain focused on locating missing victims and helping displaced residents as Kenya confronts one of the deadliest flood events to hit the capital in recent years.
Originally Reuters
