At least 46 people have been killed by flash floods across the country following the ongoing El Nino rains.
Many others have been displaced in the incidents and are camping at various places seeking help, interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has revealed.
Kindiki on Monday said the victims drowned and urged Kenyans to heed the advice of the government and move to safer areas as the rains persist.
“I want to appeal to Kenyans not to take chances when it comes to flood waters. We have already lost 46 people through the floods. Take great caution.’”
“When our officers tell you to evacuate from flood areas, please comply, and if you don’t, we will force you so that we can save lives,” Kindiki said.
He spoke at the Garissa University where he presided over the tree planting session in Northeastern region.
Some 14 people were killed by flash floods in Northern Kenya, while another two deaths were recorded in Nairobi where two boys drowned in two separate incidents..
The Red Cross has already asked those in flood-prone areas in Western, South Rift and the Lake Basin regions, to be alert and move to higher zones.
Kenya Red Cross secretary general Idris Ahmed said the rains, depending on the area, have different effects at different times.
“If you look at the weather forecast in the next two weeks, we shall have more concern in Western Kenya, lake basin, South Rift region,” he said.
The official said counties in the northern region including Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo were among the worst hit.
In Garissa, Kindiki said planting of trees was part of the government’s strategy to deal with floods and drought in the long term.
He said the government has declared climate change a threat to national security.
“As a ministry, we are taking this issue of climate change as a big threat to national security because when drought sets in, clashes between farmers and pastoralists are witnessed. This is because pastoralists are looking for pasture for their animals while farmers are plating for food. That is why we have defined climate change as one of the five major security threats in our country today,” he said.
He said the tree planting will now be a culture in the country, something he noted was meant to save the country from the ravage of climate change including drought and floods.
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