KENYA: Flash flood hits drought-stricken district

Photo: UN

The floods hit Marsabit after three days of heavy rains.

NAIROBI, 10 August 2006 (IRIN) - Four people were confirmed dead on Thursday after flash floods hit Kenya's drought-stricken northern Marsabit district, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said. "Our assessment team has arrived in the area with some food and non-food items and has confirmed four dead so far," Farid Abdikadir, KRCS head of disaster response said. "We will have a better picture of the situation later today when the team returns from the field." Joseph Lekuton, Member of Parliament for Laisamis, told reporters on Wednesday that two children and four women were killed when the floods hit Loyangalani area of Marsabit after three days of heavy rains. He said hundreds of families had been displaced while at least 600 goats had been swept away. "Those affected have lost everything," Lekuton said, adding that the government had promised to send some relief aid to help those in need. According to the Kenya meteorological department, the flash flood was caused by a southward movement of the inter-tropical convergence zone system, causing the heavy rains that have pounded southern Ethiopia to fall around Marsabit. The system, the department added, had moved back, meaning that more floods were unlikely and the northeastern areas would remain dry in August. Marsabit is one of the areas hit by drought early this year, prompting President Mwai Kibaki to declare a state of national disaster in January, after the pastoralist communities living there suffered severe water and food shortages. In June, the Famine Early Warning System warned that the food security situation in the area remained precarious despite the improved availability of water and pasture following some rains. eo/mw