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NAIROBI — Floods and landslides in Kenya have killed nearly 200 people, displaced 100 000 and strained critical infrastructure, with unprecedentedly high water levels at two dams forcing the evacuation of villagers at risk, officials said yesterday.
The heavy rain, which accelerated in mid-April, is expected to continue in already hard-hit areas in the coming weeks, the Kenya Meteorological Department said in its most recent forecast. May usually marks the end of the rainy season.
In Budalangi, western Kenya, residents have had to carry their belongings away from their submerged houses using boats and motorbikes, after the River Nzoia burst its banks, spilling over the land for miles around.
Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said on Twitter that over the past three weeks, floods had displaced 100 000 people — complicating efforts to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed 24 people in the country. — Reuters.
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