Kenya declares public holiday to mourn flood victims

APTOPIX Kenya Flooding

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s President William Ruto has declared Friday a public holiday to mourn the 238 people who have died due to ongoing flooding.

A man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Tana broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April. 28, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

The president on Wednesday said the day will be observed by national tree planting activities to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, have been overwhelmed by floods. More than 235,000 people are displaced and living in dozens of camps.

President Ruto also announced the reopening of schools countrywide, after two weeks delay due to heavy rains that have destroyed hundreds of schools.

The government had said more than 1,000 schools were affected by the heavy rains and flooding and set aside funds for renovations.

The metrology department in its daily weather forecast has continued to predict moderate to heavy rainfall in most parts of the country.

The government is in the process of forcefully evacuating people living in flood prone areas and those near rivers and dams as water levels in the country’s major hydroelectric dams rise to “historic levels”.

A lodge is seen in the flooded Maasai Mara National Reserve, which left dozens of tourists stranded in Narok County, Kenya, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding. (AP Photo/Bobby Neptune)

This week, the government bulldozed houses in informal settlements of Mathare and Mukuru in the capital Nairobi and the president promised evicted families the equivalent of $75 to relocate after a deadline passed to evacuate amid deadly rains.

CORRECTS REFERENCE FROM BURST DAM TO BLOCKED TUNNEL – People try to clear the area after a river broke through a blocked tunnel causing floodwaters in the Mai Mahiu area of Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo)