Heavy Rains and Floods Sweep Cities Across East Africa

At least 200 people were killed and dozens more were injured across East Africa in recent days, officials and aid groups said, as torrential rains, floods and landslides pummeled towns and cities in a region already grappling with the devastating effects of the climate change crisis.

The extreme rains unleashed a wave of destruction across Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi, flooding homes, demolishing businesses and leaving many people stranded on rooftops.

The downpours exposed yet again the bad roads and poor drainage systems in some of the region’s biggest cities, which residents have persistently complained about. They also revealed how poor people, who live in sprawling shantytowns without access to proper roads, water or power, bear the biggest brunt of destructive floods.

In Tanzania, at least 155 people were killed and 236 others were injured by the relentless rain that has swept several parts of the country in recent days, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday.

Speaking during a session in Parliament, Mr. Majaliwa said the rains had affected some 200,000 people and heavily damaged farms, bridges, roads, schools and places of worship. Some 10,000 homes in Tanzania were also damaged to varying degrees, he said.