Recent flash floods have struck parts of Kenya, resulting in road closures and submerged vehicles.
In Mombasa, a coastal city, roads in a section of the city were severed by floodwaters, compelling many motorists to abandon their cars and resort to motorbikes to reach the airport and train station on Friday.
In northern Kenya’s Isiolo County, locals are engaged in a search for a young man who was swept away by floods while riding a motorbike on Thursday.
Additionally, the conservation organization Save the Elephants executed a daring rescue mission, saving eight individuals from a sinking lorry on Thursday after they became trapped in floodwaters.
This is not the first instance of a conservation group intervening to save people from floods in Kenya. Earlier this year, The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust used their helicopter to rescue a stranded driver.
The Kenyan meteorological department had previously issued warnings of potential El Niño rains, anticipated to affect Kenya and other East African nations from mid-October, potentially leading to flooding, infrastructure damage, and loss of life.
Additionally, neighboring Tanzania and Somalia have also witnessed heavy rains in recent days.
However, on October 22, Kenyan President William Ruto stirred controversy by asserting that the country would not experience El Niño, a natural weather phenomenon, contrary to earlier predictions.
“The meteorological department has now said there will be no El Niño. We will only have heavy rains but they will not reach a destructive level,” Mr Ruto said.
As well as causing changes to rainfall, global temperatures typically increase during an El Niño episode.