At least 10 dead from Kenya floods and landslides

NAIROBI - At least 10 people have died across Kenya after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in several regions, police said, as authorities warned rising river levels could threaten communities downstream from a major hydropower dam system.

Seven of the deaths were reported in eastern Kenya. Police said two bridges were damaged in Kwale county on the coast and in Kitui in the east, while landslides were reported in parts of Elgeyo Marakwet county in the Rift Valley.

The rains fall within Kenya’s normal March to May wet season, but authorities say intense downpours and saturated ground have increased the risk of flooding and landslides.

Transport was disrupted after a landslide blocked the Iten–Kabarnet road near Kolol, the Kenya National Highways Authority said, adding that repairs were under way and traffic had been diverted.

The Kenya Red Cross said there were unconfirmed reports of missing persons and marooned households in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, a densely populated area of Nairobi, and that it was providing relief assistance.

Separately, the interior ministry placed the lower Tana River basin on high alert, warning that heavy rainfall upstream had increased inflows into reservoirs within the Seven Forks dam system and raised flood risks downstream. The Tana River Delta, which is home to more than 100,000 people, could be among the areas affected, the ministry said.

- Humphrey Malalo, and Isaac Anyaogu in Lagos; Editing by Sharon Singleton/Reuters