NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenya's President William Ruto has declared Friday a public holiday to mourn the 238 people who have died due to ongoing flooding.
The president on Wednesday
said the day will be observed by national tree planting activities to help
mitigate the effects of climate change.
Kenya, along with other parts
of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by floods. More than 235,000 people are
displaced and living in dozens of camps.
President Ruto also announced
the reopening of schools countrywide, after two weeks delay due to heavy rains
that have destroyed hundreds of schools.
The government had said more
than 1,000 schools were affected by the heavy rains and flooding and set aside
funds for renovations.
The metrology department in
its daily weather forecast has continued to predict moderate to heavy rainfall
in most parts of the country.
The government is in the
process of forcefully evacuating people living in flood-prone areas and those
near rivers and dams as water levels in the country's major hydroelectric dams
rise to "historic levels".
This week, the government
bulldozed houses in informal settlements of Mathare and Mukuru in the capital
Nairobi and the president promised evicted families the equivalent of $75 to
relocate after a deadline passed to evacuate amid deadly rains.
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