Kenyans told to move as rising water levels hit hydroelectric dams

Rain-swollen water levels at two hydroelectric dams in Kenya are at “historic highs” and people downstream should move away, officials have said.

Residents of floodprone areas in the country have been ordered to evacuate or be moved by force.

Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by floods that killed 66 people on Monday and in recent days has blocked a national highway, swamped the main airport and swept a bus off a bridge.

More than 150,000 people are displaced and living in dozens of camps.

With seasonal rains forecast to increase, the Kenyan cabinet said residents of areas hit by floods or landslides in the past, and residents near dams and rivers considered at high risk, will be told by today to evacuate. Those who do not will be moved by force.

It was not clear how many people will have to move, or how notifications and evacuations would be carried out.

“We will assist you all and ensure we resettle you in an area that the government has identified,” said President William Ruto during a visit to the Mai Mahiu area west of Nairobi, where a river broke through a blocked tunnel on Monday and killed at least 48 people.

On Kenya’s longest river, the Tana, to the east, water levels at the Masinga and Kiambere hydroelectric dams have reached historic highs.

On Sunday, flooding on the Tana capsized a boat and seven people died, with another 13 reported missing. Earlier this month, high waters on the Tana swept a bus from a bridge. All 51 passengers were rescued.

Floods have killed more than 150 people in Tanzania and Somalia and affected hundreds of thousands in Ethiopia and Burundi.

People carry a body that was trapped in debris.