• Do not venture into the open sea.
• The Met Department warned that roofs may be blown off and trees uprooted .
An alert has been issued on strong winds and rough seas on the East African coast over the next five days.
The Kenya Maritime Authority advisory cautioned all mariners and fisherfolk to expect strong southerly winds with speeds of 22-37 knots and high seas of 2-4 metres across Kenya and East African coastal waters from July 21 to 24.
KMA director-general George Okong’o said in a statement on Sunday that the strong winds, waves and reduced visibility may cause loss of life and property through collision and capsizing of vessels. The caution was to fisherfolk, kayaks and surf boat speedboat operators, pleasure crafts, passengers and the public.
There have been numerous cases of boats and small vessels capsizing, with the coastal region being the most affected.
In April, two people were rescued from a boat carrying construction material from Manda to Pate islands in the Indian Ocean of the Lamu archipelago after it capsized.
In May, officials from KMA rescued a crew of four from a capsized fishing boat in Lamu.
The KMA alert comes a day after the Meteorological Department warned that strong winds are expected to hit the Kenyan coast from Sunday.
Met said the winds may become stronger on Monday.
“The strong winds of 25 miles per second and high waves of more than three metres are projected to continue to Tuesday July 23. The strong winds are likely to reduce to 20 m/s on July 24. While the wave heights may reduce to 2 meters the same day,” the weatherman said in a statement.
Areas on high alert include Mombasa, Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta.
The weatherman has warned the strong winds may blow off roofs, uproot trees and cause structural damages.