Flash floods triggered by relentless torrential rains have killed at least 81 people across Kenya and forced thousands from their homes, as rivers burst their banks and fragile hillsides give way. Rescue teams, local authorities and humanitarian agencies are struggling to reach marooned communities, with roads, bridges and power lines washed away in several regions.

In Kisumu County, on the shores of Lake Victoria, entire villages have been swallowed by muddy floodwaters. Local officials estimate that about 1,200 hectares of farmland have been destroyed, wiping out maize, beans and vegetable crops that families depend on for both food and income. Livestock carcasses lie scattered in the fields, a stark sign of the losses endured.

The worst devastation is in Nyakach, where the Sondu Miriu River burst its banks after days of heavy downpour. More than 3,000 families have been driven from their homes, many fleeing in the night with only the clothes they were wearing. They are now sheltering in over eight makeshift evacuation centres set up in schools and churches on higher ground.

“We have lost farmlands due to massive erosion and many crops,” said local chief Seth Oluoch Agwanda, describing how fertile topsoil has been stripped away, leaving deep gullies where fields once stood. He warned that even if the waters recede soon, food insecurity will linger for months.

For many residents, the immediate concern is survival. “There is no house that is not flooded,” said Nyakach resident Kennedy Oguta, who is struggling to find a dry place for his family and livestock. Another villager, Sarah Akinyi Onyango, said families remain stranded in rising waters with children, waiting for boats or trucks to ferry them to safety.

The capital Nairobi has also been hit hard, with at least 37 deaths reported after rivers and drainage channels overflowed into densely populated neighbourhoods. Homes, roads and informal settlements have been inundated, and authorities have reported additional fatalities in Kiambu County and landslides in Kasaka, where saturated slopes have collapsed without warning.

Officials have urged extreme caution as meteorologists forecast more heavy rain in the coming days. Scientists say a warming climate is intensifying extreme weather across East Africa, making both severe floods and prolonged droughts more frequent and more destructive, and leaving vulnerable communities with ever less time to recover between disasters.