Heavy rain in Kenya affects tens of thousands, disrupts cargo

Heavy rain in Kenya affects tens of thousands, disrupts cargo
by AFP Staff Writers
Nairobi (AFP) Nov 19, 2023

Kenya on Sunday said tens of thousands of people across the country had been impacted by heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides that had also interrupted cargo services at Mombasa port.

The Horn of Africa has experienced intense rainfall linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon in recent weeks that has claimed dozens of lives, including at least 46 in various parts of Kenya.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said at least 80,000 households in Kenya had been affected "with numbers rising every day".

He said the government was responding to "save our people" including with helicopters and other emergency services to deliver aid and rescue marooned families.

"This situation has continued to threaten lives," he said in a statement issued Sunday, urging the public to avoid floodwaters and evacuate homes in low-lying areas.

The prolonged rainfall was expected to extend into the first quarter of next year, he added.

Officials said nine people have died in the coastal region since last week including two passengers in a car belonging to the Kenya Revenue Authority that was swept off a flooded bridge in Kwale County on Friday morning.

"A multi-agency team led by the Kenya Coast Guard Service is on scene trying to retrieve the bodies," the interior ministry said Sunday.

Kenya Railways said floods and landslides had caused an "unexpected delay" in deliveries to Mombasa port and along the cargo rail line to Nairobi.

"Consequently, this has affected normal train operations, including cargo transfers, loading as well as offloading activities at the Port of Mombasa," the state-owned railway said in a statement on Saturday posted on X, formerly Twitter.

A landslide in one section of the line between Mombasa and Nairobi had resulted in "the closure of that section for all freight trains" but limited passenger services were still moving, it added.

Mombasa, the country's second-largest city, and its port and railway cargo line serve not just Kenya but also landlocked neighbours including Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.

British charity Save the Children on Thursday said more than 100 people, including 16 children, had died and over 700,000 been forced out of their homes in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia due to flash flooding.

The number of people displaced by heavy rains and floods in Somalia "has nearly doubled in one week" to 649,000, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in its latest figures issued on Saturday.

Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank
Nairobi (AFP) Nov 17, 2023 - The impacts of climate change could shave up to seven percent off Kenya's economic output by 2050 compared to baseline forecasts, unless it adapts, the World Bank warned on Friday.

The East African economic powerhouse is extremely vulnerable to climate disasters, recently enduring a punishing years-long drought followed by flooding precipitated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

"Without adaptation measures, the impact from climate change could not only disproportionately affect the poor, but also result in real GDP (gross domestic product) losses of up to seven percent from the baseline by 2050," the World Bank said.

Although African nations are among the world's lowest contributors to emissions, they are acutely vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change, as extreme weather events occur with increased frequency and intensity.

The World Bank said that the number of poor people in Kenya could increase by 1.1 million by 2050 if there is "inaction against climate change".

"Furthermore, death and illness due to malaria and water borne diseases are expected to increase by 56 percent and 10 percent respectively by 2050," the Washington-based lender said.

The country of 53 million people will need $62 billion by 2030 to adapt its economy to climate challenges, according to the government.

"Financing to increase Kenya's resilience to climate change will require both domestic resources and expanding climate-compatible private investment in existing areas, such as livestock feed and tourism, and emerging sectors, such as e-mobility and green energy," the World Bank said.

But Kenya's government has limited room for manoeuvre, with its coffers depleted as it struggles to contain skyrocketing inflation and a plunging currency that has sent debt repayment costs soaring.

The country's public debt stood at more than 10.1 trillion shillings ($66 billion) at the end of June, according to Treasury figures, equivalent to around two-thirds of GDP.

Kenya also has a $2-billion eurobond repayment due next year.

The agriculture sector, which is the top contributor to Kenya's economy, representing around 21 percent of GDP in 2022, has already come under pressure from drought and torrential rains.