More than 85,000 households in Kenya have been displaced, while numerous lives have also been claimed by floods as a result of recent heavy rainfall.

Development Diaries reports that several homes have been washed away and roads rendered impassable due to the floods, which community members say have been worse than the El Nino phenomenon.

The rains have intensified, plunging northern Kenya into a crisis surpassing the challenges experienced during the 1997 El Nino event.

The flooding has been attributed to a combination of the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian Ocean’s dipole, which traditionally causes heavy rainfall in the East African region.

Not long ago, millions of Kenyans were facing the possibility of a fifth consecutive drought season, only to now face the devastating impact of flooding as a result of the ongoing climate crisis.

With thousands now affected by the floods, public health is a key area that requires urgent intervention to prevent disease outbreaks in affected communities.

Development Diaries calls on the Kenya National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) to urgently provide relief to communities affected by the flooding while also rescuing those trapped.

Also, we call on the Kenya Health Ministry to immediately initiate an intervention programme to provide health assistance to those in critical need.

Photo source: Kenya Red Cross