Expect high daytime temperatures, continued rainfall, Met says

The Kenya Meteorological Department (Met) has warned of a rise in average daytime temperatures, surpassing 30°C, in several regions of the country.

In its May 14–20, 2024, weather advisory, the Met says regions set to experience daytime maximum temperatures include the Coast, North-eastern, and North-western.

Parts of the Central Highlands are likely to experience low average nighttime (minimum) temperatures, dropping below 10°C.

The Met further urged Kenyans in the Central Highlands, Western Kenya, the Lake Victoria Basin, and the Rift Valley to prepare for continued rainfall.

“Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected over a few places. Nights are likely to be partly cloudy, but occasional showers may occur over a few places,” Director David Gikungu said.

The fair weather comes after many parts of the country endured weeks of heavy rains, which caused widespread flooding.

As of May 14, the death toll was 289, the number of missing people was 75, and the number of the wounded was 188. A total of 57,120 families, or 285,600 individuals, had been displaced countrywide.

Some of the most affected counties over the last 24 hours were Tana River, Garissa, and Lamu, as a result of the flooding of the Tana Delta.

About 1,967 schools were affected by the floods but the government set May 13 as the official school reopening date for the second term, saying adequate measures had been taken to keep all learners safe.

On Monday, however, many schools were unable to reopen as hundreds of learners and their teachers in flood-hit areas were forced to seek refuge in other schools.

At Mathare North Primary School, which was one of the affected schools on April 24, learners and teachers had a busy day cleaning up. A spot check found books and other learning materials, as well as furniture, laid out to dry.

Mathare North Primary School Headteacher Boniface Matindi said the water rose to one and a half metres in the classrooms and offices.

The Interior ministry had said that schools that were adversely affected by the heavy rains would have their reopening dates delayed further "as national government and county multi-agency teams ensure repairs are done to create a safe environment for students to resume learning."