Flood-hit Kenya pays tribute to dam collapse victims May 11, 2024

Tragedy in Kenya

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Flood-hit Kenya pays tribute to dam collapse victims

Thousands of people on Thursday paid tribute to the 61 people killed last month when a makeshift dam broke in central Kenya following heavy rains that plunged the country into turmoil.

The tragedy near the town of Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley was the deadliest incident during a particularly brutal rainy season, which has claimed 257 lives and displaced almost 55,000 families since March in the East African country.

The disaster occurred before dawn on April 29, when torrential rains broke the dam, sending torrents of water and mud down a hill.

The torrent cut off a road and destroyed houses, devastating the village of Kamuchiri and killing 61 people, according to local MP Jane Kihara.

Thousands of people - relatives of the victims, residents, and political leaders - gathered to pay homage to the dead in Mai Mahiu, a few kilometers from the site of the tragedy.

Under a large tent, dozens of portraits of victims, including many children, were displayed in front of flowers and candles, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

An emotional crowd listened to speeches by religious and political leaders, including Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who read a message from President William Ruto.

“In these difficult times, we stand in solidarity with those affected by the disaster,” he said.

The government warned on Wednesday that heavy rains were expected in 31 of Kenya's 47 counties.

Water levels in Lake Victoria - Africa's largest - and Lake Baringo are expected to continue rising, increasing the threat of further flooding.

The authorities have also warned that all five dams that make up the Seven Forks hydroelectric project pose “an increased risk of flooding” in the downstream counties of Garissa, Tana River, and Lamu.

A total of 192 dams have been identified as “high risk” and the populations living near 178 of them have been evacuated, according to the government.

The rains also hit the rest of East Africa, aggravated by the El Nino weather pattern.

At least 475 people have died in Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Somalia, according to government data and figures from the UN humanitarian agency OCHA compiled by AFP.

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