Thousands displaced by flooding

Floods and landslides triggered by weeks of heavy rains across Kenya have killed at least 20 people and affected over 120,000, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes.

One of the worst-hit areas was Migori District, southwestern Kenya, where some 13,000 people had been displaced due to swelling of the nearby Migori and Kuja rivers, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Wednesday. "If it continues raining we could see another 20,000 people forced to leave their homes in Migori," sources said.

Sources told IRIN there was an urgent need for drugs to treat waterborne diseases, as sanitation in the district was poor and floodwaters had covered wells, leading to a shortage of drinking and cooking water.

In addition, four schools in Migori District had been forced to close to due flood damage and, at a further five, no children were attending as their journeys to school were made impossible by the flooding, sources said.

According to humanitarian sources, several priority regions for assistance across Kenya had been identified, and included, Migori, Nyando, Busia and Kisumu Districts, all in western Kenya.

Col Bonventure Wendo, spokesman for the Kenyan National Disaster Operations Centre, was quoted as saying by the BBC that the worst flooding was in the low-lying districts of Kisumu and Busia near Lake Victoria.

Meru, Mount Kenya, Murang'a, all in central Kenya, had also been badly affected, sources said.

The Daily Nation newspaper reported on Tuesday that more than 30 people had been killed across the country, with 22 reportedly killed in landslides in Murang'a and Meru in the past week.

In two separate incidents, mudslides have killed 15 members of two families near Mount Kenya, according to the BBC.

Reuters quoted a Kenya Red Cross official as saying the floods were the worst to hit the country since 1998, when heavy rains linked to the El Nino phenomenon killed more than 80 people in 24 hours.

The long seasonal trains in Kenya are normally expected to run from April through to June each year, and more heavy rains are expected, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Despite heavy rains in Nairobi, water supply had ceased to many of the Kenyan capital's 3 million residents. Nairobi City Council has blamed the shortage on mud that has got into pipes bringing water to the city from nearby reservoirs. The BBC quoted water engineer Lawrence Musyoka as saying the daily supply was down 40 percent from the usual 410 million litres.

In recent years the city has suffered frequent water shortages, most often caused by drought in the East African nation. Nairobi Mayor Dick Waweru last year asked residents to bear with the city council, and said the situation would improve if there was some rain.