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.

Area district commissioner Mwangi Kahiro said: “We have received the report of the dead person from the residents but I cannot confirm it since we have not seen the body.”

In Taveta district hundreds of families were forced to sleep outside following a night of heavy rains. Houses and schools in the flood-prone areas of Kimala, Kimorigo and Kitobo are full of water and the roads are impassable.

Ms Elpina Mcharo said her house was almost swept away by the storm water that was flowing from the gullies and streams in the neighbourhood.

“We could not go anywhere because it was dark and we had to spend the night standing up, not knowing whether our houses would still be there in the morning,” she said.

In Mogotio, there was shock and panic after the remains of dead people from a local public cemetery were swept into Molo River by raging floods.

Body parts were retrieved from the river last week following heavy rains. Five people recently drowned in the area. The cemetery is near the banks of a stream at Katorongot.

The residents said they feared an outbreak disease since Molo River is the main source of water for hundreds of people in the area.

On Sunday, Ms Christine Ndoigo, an official of the Rift Valley Water Services Board called for urgent action saying the incident had traumatised residents.

It was so bad

She was part of a government team led by area DC Julius Ngumo that went to assess the situation.

“I saw it with my own eyes, it was so bad …the cemetery is just metres away from the river,” she said.

In Rachuonyo, more than 15 homes are under water and 70 people displaced by flooding over the past six days.

The Meteorological Department has said the heavy rains are likely to continue for the next two weeks.

—Reports by Sammy Cheboi, Muchemi Wachira, Peter Ng’etich, Jonathan Manyindo, Eric Wainaina and Otieno Owida