• Central Kenya including Nairobi, Embu, Meru and Nyeri will have morning rains in a few places, but the afternoon showers will be widespread.
• Rains could fuel the spread of the desert locusts, because of widespread green vegetation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Rainfall will spread across the country this week, with Western Kenya and the Coast receiving the heaviest amounts.
This is likely to be the pattern this month, according to the Meteorological department. April is the peak of the long rains season.
Met director Stella Aura said Nairobians should also prepare for heavy rains this week.
The rains will be more pronounced in the afternoon although some regions will experience morning and evening showers.
"Parts of the Lake Victoria basin, the Highlands West of the Rift Valley, Central and South Rift Valley, the Highlands East of the Rift Valley (including Nairobi) and the Coast are likely to receive heavy rainfall," Aura said.
The forecast shows that counties around Lake Victoria and in Rift Valley highlands will have morning rains in a few places.
However, afternoon showers and thunderstorms are likely to occur in several places throughout this week.
These counties include Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Trans Nzoia, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Laikipia, Nakuru, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma and Busia.
Aura said Central Kenya including Nairobi, Embu, Meru and Nyeri will have morning rains in a few places. The afternoon showers will be widespread.
"Evening showers may occur over a few places on all nights except on Thursday and Sunday when they may spread to several places."
At the Coastal Strip, morning showers will spread from Thursday while Northeastern Kenya (Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Isiolo counties) will have sporadic rains throughout the week.
Aura says the rains across Kenya have been increasing in the last two weeks.
"A comparison between the previous review period (March 30 to April 5) and the current review period (April 6-12) indicates an increase in rainfall amounts over much of the country," she said.
The rains could fuel the spread of the desert locusts, because of widespread green vegetation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
“In May, the eggs will hatch into hoppers bands that will form new swarms in late June and July which coincides with the start of the long rains harvest. In March, numerous hopper bands continued to develop causing an increasing number of immature swarms to form and mature. Infestations were mainly in Turkana, Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia, Meru and Embu counties,” the UN food agency said last week.
Ground and aerial control operations covered 15,278 hectares in February and 3,968 hectares in March.
Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga said on Monday that 600 trained National Youth Service cadres are in the field doing the control operations.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has not affected their work because they are moving with security officers. The services they are offering are some of the essential and crucial services that are still operational during the curfew hours," Boga said.
He said training of the 30 people to train other trainers will be completed this month.
Edited by R.Wamochie