'Crisis upon crisis' as Kenya and Somalia go from drought to floods
Around 80 people in Kenya and Somalia have lost their lives in less than a month as a result of floods caused by heavy rains, which come on the heels of East Africa's worst drought in decades.
Humanitarian organisations in East Africa report that close to a million people have been displaced in the two countries, with Somalia bearing the brunt.
With more downpours forecast, at least 46 people in Kenya had lost their lives by 13 November, the Cabinet Secretary of Interior and Administration, Kindiki Kithure, confirmed.
The arid and semi-arid regions of eastern and northern Kenya are the most affected.
"We have lost 46 people because of drowning and floods, and we don’t want any other Kenyan to lose their lives. Please comply with directives by security officers, and if you don’t comply, we will force you to comply," warned Kindiki on a visit to Garissa County, one of 19 of Kenya's 47 counties that have been affected adversely by the floods.
The floods came less than three months after a prolonged drought that resulted in the death of livestock in both Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya, the National Drought Management Authority reported that as of September, 23 regions were severely hit and more than 2.8 million people affected.
The Kenya Red Cross said the country was experiencing "crisis upon crisis".
"From a humanitarian perspective, what this means is that the resilience of these communities is consistently being weakened," the charity's secretary general, Ahmed Idris, told Citizen TV Kenya.
In the town of Maua in nearby Meru County, more than 100 families have been displaced.
Read more on RFI English
Read also:
Somalia swamped by once-in-a-century flooding after historic drought: UN
Heavy rains disrupt final day of British royal tour in Kenya
Melting African glaciers an early casualty of global warming, say experts
