This archive report was first published on 13 December 2019.
Heavy rainfall in the lower eastern region of Kenya has claimed the lives of two middle-aged women in Kitui, with their bodies recovered on Friday, December 13, 2019.
The women, aged 30 and 32, were attempting to cross River Muungua in Kitui when disaster struck, with floodwaters sweeping them away.
According to Ikutha Deputy Sub-County Commissioner Jackton Orieng, the women were accompanied by two men who managed to swim to safety.
The incident is the latest in a series of flood-related deaths in the region, with four people having died on October 17, 2019, after a seasonal river in Kitui burst its banks.
Over 130 people have so far died since the October-November-December rains started, with the Meteorological Department forecasting continued rainfall in December, including parts of the country projected to receive as much as 7mm.
