President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, May 1, extended condolences to the people of Kenya, after heavy flooding ravaged the country, killing hundreds of people and more families displaced.
ALSO READ: Kenya postpones schools reopening over flooding
President Kagame's message of solace, comes a day after Kenyan President William Ruto deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas in a nation where 171 people have been killed since March by torrential rains.
"My sincere condolences to you my brother, President Williams Ruto and the people of Kenya, for the families displaced and the lives lost in the ongoing mass flooding in Nairobi and other parts of the country. Rwanda stands in solidarity with you and the country in this difficult time," Kagame said in a post on X.
ALSO READ: At least 40 killed as dam bursts in Kenya amid heavy downpour
Seasonal rains, amplified by the El Nino weather pattern, have devastated the East African nation, including Rwanda, with floodwaters engulfing villages and threatening to unleash even more damage in the weeks to come.
In the worst incident, which killed nearly 50 people, a makeshift dam burst in the Rift Valley before dawn on Monday, April 29, sending a torrent of water and mud gushing down a hill and swallowing everything in its path.
Kenyan media indicated that the tragedy in Kamuchiri village, Nakuru county, was the deadliest episode in the country since the start of the March-May rainy season.
President Ruto, who visited the victims of the Kamuchiri deluge after chairing a Cabinet meeting in Nairobi, said his government had drawn up a map of neighborhoods at risk of flooding.
"The military has been mobilised, the national youth service has been mobilised, all security agencies have been mobilized to assist citizens in such areas to evacuate to avoid any dangers of loss of lives," he said.
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People living in the affected areas will have 48 hours to move, he said.
"The forecast is that rain is going to continue, and the likelihood of flooding and people losing lives is real. Therefore, we must take preemptive action," Ruto said.
Kenyan cabinet warned that two dams -- Masinga and Kiambere -- both less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of the capital, had "reached historic highs," portending disaster for those downstream.
The international community, including the United Nations and African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat, have sent condolences and pledged solidarity with the affected families.
The weather has also left a trail of destruction in neighboring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides.
El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere
