According to the Red Cross, at least 45 people have died in the floods in Kenya since March, with 10 fatalities reported since Monday alone.

The Kenyan government deployed troops on Thursday to rescue victims of unusually heavy rains that have led to the deaths of dozens of people across East Africa in the past month.

Many have been displaced, with dozens of deaths reported in Kenya. According to the Red Cross, at least 45 people have died in the floods in the country since March, with 10 fatalities reported since Monday alone.

Extensive areas of the capital Nairobi, as well as other major towns, are submerged, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

The United Nations says more than 40,000 have been forced from their homes because of the rain and flooding.

Collins Obondo lost at least four relatives in the flooding on Wednesday in Nairobi’s densely-populated Mathare neighborhood, which is situated along the Nairobi River.

“The body of my mother’s neighbour was trapped right across here and it seemed as though my cousin held her ankle with her head lodged between her thighs,” the 38-year-old told media as he sifted through the remnants of his mother’s collapsed house.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Tanzania, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told parliament on Thursday that the death toll from the rains has reached 155. He said more than 200,000 people and 51,000 households have been affected by the rains.

In Burundi, hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes as a result of the relentless rains. Uganda has also suffered heavy storms that have caused riverbanks to burst, with two fatalities confirmed and several hundred villagers displaced.

East Africa has been grappling with record floods since the last rainy season in late 2023. Scientists attribute these extreme weather events to climate change, which is causing more frequent and intense phenomena.

Kenya’s President William Ruto said in a meeting with senior government officials that the military was deployed to help with rescue operations.

His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, said that a multi-agency emergency response centre would be activated on Thursday afternoon, noting that above-normal rainfall is anticipated for the coming week.