Dry weather returns to most parts country this week – Met

Hot and sunny weather returns to most parts of the country this week, especially the eastern half of Kenya, the weatherman says.

However, the western half, including most parts of Central Kenya, are expected to have rains.

Daytime temperatures are also expected to be high, dropping to below 10 degrees at night in Central Kenya counties including Nairobi.

“Rainfall is expected to continue over the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin and the Rift Valley,” head of meteorological department David Gikungu said.

“Isolated heavy rainfall events may occur over some parts of these regions,” he added in a five-day forecast ending on Saturday.

The rains reduction is helpful as many Kenyans seek to restore infrastructure that was damaged by the floods.

At least 289 Kenyans have been killed by the floods, according to a tally given by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on Tuesday.

The ministry also announced that 75 Kenyans are still missing, while another 188 have so far sustained injuries.

A total of 57,120 households have been displaced and this has directly affected approximately 285,600 people.

The ministry said the heavy rains have so far impacted over 412,336 people.

While this is the case, the government has set up at least 187 camps across 25 counties.

Some of the most affected counties over the last 24 hours are Tana River, Garissa and Lamu as a result of the Tana Delta flooding, due to heavy rains received in the central region.

About 1,967 schools have also been affected, with 62 health facilities  reportedly damaged across 11 counties.

Additionally, crops on approximately 168,092 acres of land have been destroyed and 8,722 livestock dead, as a result of the floods.

The government has continued to ensure the safety of all Kenyans is guaranteed by issuing updates on affected areas, as well as advising on safety measures.

Deputy Government spokesperson Mwanaisha Chidzuga said at least 2,000 schools did not reopen on Monday, May 13.

Speaking on Radio Citizen, Chidzuga said this follows an assessment by relevant authorities on the preparedness of schools.

Despite this, the government has taken steps to ensure learners from affected schools continue to receive education.

"Before we opened the schools, there were strategies we had put in place, for example, there is a department that looks after the quality of buildings called Public Works. We sent them to some schools to check if they were safe for students to go back. Some gave their reports and as we speak 2,000 schools cannot be opened today," she said.

"But it does not mean that those children will not have a chance to study. We have transferred some students to schools that are nearby. And there are somewhere we have set up tents and desks to have temporary classes."

The deputy government spokesperson said the state cannot continue delaying the beginning of the second term, despite the floods having affected over 30 counties.

Chidzuga said most parts of the country are not severely affected and that learning can go on.

She said the government is doing all within its ability to ensure Kenyans are protected and that schools resume, and called for patience and support from all Kenyans.