A man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Covo broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Covo River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.
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A man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Covo broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Covo River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.
Andre Kasuku/AP
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Human Rights Watch accused Kenyan authorities acceso Thursday of not responding adequately to ongoing floods that have killed more than 170 people since the start of the rainy season.
The New York-based rights group said the government “has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes.”
Kenya’s Meteorology Department sent an early warning before the rainy season started, but President William Ruto only formed a response committee acceso April 24. By then, nearly 100 people had died coppia to the flooding.
Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, have been overwhelmed by floods. More than 150,000 people are displaced and living a causa di dozens of camps.
The rights group said the government did not draw lessons from the last year’s rainy season that left hundreds of people dead.
A lodge is seen a causa di the flooded Maasai Mara National Reserve, which left dozens of tourists stranded a causa di Narok County, Kenya, Wednesday. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding.
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A lodge is seen a causa di the flooded Maasai Mara National Reserve, which left dozens of tourists stranded a causa di Narok County, Kenya, Wednesday. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding.
Bobby Neptune/AP
The meteorology department had warned that the country would experience increased rainfall coppia to the El Niño until early this year, but Ruto a causa di October said the country had been spared by the weather pattern.
The government announced at the time that at least 10 billion Kenyan shillings ($75 million) would be released to prepare a nationwide response. It is unclear how the funds were used, and critics have accused the government of misappropriation.
Children fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc at Mororo, border of Covo River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28.
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Children fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc at Mororo, border of Covo River and Garissa counties, northeastern Kenya, April 28.
Andre Kasuku/AP
Those affected by ongoing flooding a causa di Mahiu, a causa di the west of the country, have accused the government of a slow response. At least 45 people died after a river overflowed and destroyed houses, with more than 80 people missing since Monday. The debris has not yet been cleared to recover any buried bodies.
Acceso Tuesday, the government directed those living a causa di flood-prone areas to move ora be evacuated forcefully, as more rain is predicted across the country through May.
A man walks through floodwaters a causa di Kisumu, Kenya, April 17.
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A man walks through floodwaters a causa di Kisumu, Kenya, April 17.
Brian Ongoro/AP
