This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
Kenya is reeling from the effects of severe flooding, which has left thousands of people without homes and access to basic services.
According to Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, at least 116 people have died across 29 counties in the past week, with the death toll expected to rise.
Heavy rains have been pounding west, central, and southeast Kenya for over a week, causing rivers to overflow and triggering floods and mudslides.
Residents have been forced to set up makeshift shelters on narrow stretches of raised ground near the floodwaters, with the Kenya Red Cross warning of a growing risk of coronavirus transmission due to overcrowding.
"Shelter is a big priority; people need to be given a place to stay to shield them from the continued rains," said Asha Mohammed, the secretary general of the Kenya Red Cross.
Published on May 5, 2020, the Kenya Red Cross has asked county governments for additional shelters to address the crisis.
Abnormally heavy rains have also fallen across East Africa, causing flash flooding in neighbouring Somalia and displacing thousands of people.
"The river levels are rising at an unprecedented rate," said Justin Brady, head of office at the UN's emergency aid coordination office, OCHA.
"We're seeing water levels now we'd normally see at the end of May," he added.
