17 killed, 14 injured and 10,777 displaced by ongoing rains-report

This is according to a Kenya Red Cross report released on Sunday, November 5, that also detailed at least 1,009 livestock deaths in the same period. 

The ongoing rains, which are expected to last until January, have also impacted 10,277 households across the country, wreaked havoc on 84 latrines, and destroyed 221 acres of agricultural land.

Among the decedents are a child who drowned in Kako Waia, Makueni, following a heavy downpour on October 15, and a woman who died in Busia on October 24, after the roof of her house caved in. 

Other deaths documented in the Red Cross report include two people killed by lightning strikes in West Pokot and Mandera counties on October 22 and 29, respectively, and a child who was swept away by flash floods while attempting to cross the Isiolo-Marsabit Road on October 25.

In a separate incident on October 24, three people were injured in Busia after they were struck by objects lifted by strong winds that accompanied the rains. 

Elsewhere, three people sustained serious injuries at Olesinye village in Narok after their house was struck by lightning on October 17. 

The ongoing rains, a result of El Nino conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which are currently present in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, come after a prolonged drought and are expected to peak in November.