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Kenya, Tanzania brace for Cyclone Hidaya as flood death toll rises

Kenya and Tanzania have been bracing for a cyclone on the heels of torrential rains and floods that have devastated East Africa, killing nearly 400 people and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

 

Cyclone Hidaya is inching closer to the eastern coast of Tanzania, with an expected landfall later on Friday, according to the latest weather forecast. It is also likely to bring more rain to neighbouring Kenya, including in the major coastal city of Mombasa, just north of the eye of the cyclone.

 

“Crucially, the coastal region is likely to experience Cyclone Hidaya, which will result in heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean,” the office of Kenyan President William Ruto said.

 

Floods in Kenya have already claimed at least 210 lives since March, according to updated tolls from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on Friday. It said 125 people have been injured, 90 are missing, and 165,500 people are displaced.

 

Ahead of the expected cyclone, Ruto’s government also ordered mandatory evacuations for residents near 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties, and the government warned citizens to remain on alert.

 

The rains have been amplified by the El Nino weather pattern – a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere.

 

In Tanzania, at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in recent days. With the arrival of Hidaya, there are more fears of weather disruption.

 

“The presence of Hidaya Cyclone … is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some regions near Indian Ocean,” the Tanzania Red Cross Society said on the social media platform X.

 

The heavier-than-usual rains have also killed at least 29 people in Burundi, with 175 people injured, and tens of thousands displaced since September last year, the United Nations said.