Heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected to continue to be experienced in many parts of Rift Valley, the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) has said.
The department in an advisory issued this week said the intensity of rains that will pound the South, West and Central Parts of Rift Valley is expected to be 20mm.
“Thunderstorms are expected in afternoons and at night over the South, West and Central Rift regions,” the department said in a forecast effective until Saturday this week.
The advisory issued by KMD Director Stella Aura states that the rains may be accompanied by strong winds.
The department said floodwaters may suddenly appear even in places where it has not rained and can be deeper and faster than they look.
The weatherman also urged residents not to shelter under trees or near grilled windows to minimize exposure to lightning strikes.
Last year, two people among them a minor died after being struck by lightning in a church at Lower Solai, Rongai Sub County. Two other injured persons were also hospitalized at the county referral hospital.
In June this year, four people were also killed by lightning in Piave and Njoro. During the incident, one person suffered serious injuries.
The victims were struck as they sheltered outside a house during a heavy downpour. Among the dead were four men, while a woman, who suffered serious injuries, was rushed to Nakuru Level Five Hospital in critical condition.
“People in flood-prone areas should be on high alert,” the report said.
Also in June this year, several families living in Kiamunyi, Olive Inn and Kaptembwa estates in Nakuru were displaced following floods caused by a heavy downpour that lasted for more than three hours.
At the same time, sections between Olive Inn and Kiamunyi estates were blocked by sand washed down by rain water.
The advisory further warns that slippery roads and poor visibility during rainstorms may also pose danger to motorists and pedestrians, especially along the Kikuyu-Kinungi stretch on the Nakuru-Nairobi highway.
By Anne Mwale and Ivy Kerubo
