• Seven killed at the weekend as heavy rains bring down a building, flood homes and wash away bridges

Seven people were killed over the weekend as heavy rains continued to pound various parts of the country.

Three of those were killed when a building under construction collapsed during a storms in Kiambu on Saturday night.

Thirty two people have so far died in rain-related incidents, according to a tally by the Kenya Red Cross and the Daily Nation.

One of those killed in Kiambu was a boy waiting to join Form One. He was killed as he slept with his family in their iron sheet and timber house. The six-storey building, whose construction the authorities had halted because of concerns over poor workmanship, came tumbling down.

Three more people have drowned in Turkana district, even though unconfirmed reports placed the figure at five, as the government and humanitarian agencies evacuated more than 10,000 other to camps on higher ground.

Another death was reported in Makindu and there were unconfirmed reports that a man returning from the bar late at night was swept away by storm waters.

The Kenya Red Cross Society said the heavy rains associated with the El Nino phenomenon have caused flooding in more than 15 districts, destroying hundreds of homes and infrastructure worth millions of shillings.

The death toll on Friday last week stood at 21. But this did not include four people who died of flood-related causes in Rongai in Nakuru.

In Kiambu, Maina Irungu, 17, and Tyson Njoroge, 25, died when a new building next door came down on their home. On Friday, a Kiambu court agreed with the authorities who stopped the construction in October because of poor workmanship.

To collapse

It’s the second building in Kiambu to collapse in similar circumstances in three months, the other having killed 17 people in October.

In Turkana, the government and relief agencies are providing food, cholera and anti-malarial drugs to more than 20,000 displaced people.

A six-year old boy was rescued from storm waters in Lower Subukia and is recovering at Nyahururu District Hospital. Bridges have been washed away and some areas are inaccessible.

In Kitengela, heavy rains left a trail of destruction, washing away a bridge and swamping homes.

One person was feared death as residents fought to rescue those who were marooned in their houses.