AT LEAST 81 people were killed in Kenya during heavy rain and flooding that recently deluged the country, the Kenyan National Police Service (NPS) reported on Sunday.

A statement from the NPS said that after new search-and-rescue operations, the “cumulative death toll has sadly risen to 81. Nairobi remains the most affected region, with 37 victims.”

Authorities also said there were at least another 21 deaths in the Eastern region, five in the Coastal region, seven in the Nyanza region, eight in the Rift Valley, and three in the Central region of Kenya.

The floods have displaced 2,690 families and caused widespread destruction of schools, markets, roads and essential water and electricity infrastructure.

“The rains are expected to continue throughout the country, and we urge citizens to exercise extreme caution and vigilance, and to strictly adhere to updates and safety advisories issued by the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and other relevant government agencies,” the statement said.

According to its latest update, the KMD maintains a red alert for the Nairobi, Central and Eastern regions due to “very heavy” rainfall expected over the next 48 hours.

The meteorological department indicated that the rains that caused these floods are part of a “prolonged wet spell” that began in mid-February and has saturated drainage systems. Morning Star