On the one hand you can only bless them, on the other hand the first heavy downpours that fell on south-central Kenya have created inevitable flooding and problems especially in the capital of the coastal region, Mombasa, and in some rural areas close to the entire maritime strip.
In Kenya's second city, a veritable 'water bomb', as the Italian press likes to call extraordinary storms, blocked incoming and outgoing traffic for hours yesterday, with entire neighbourhoods flooded and people in distress. In the slums of Kangemi and Mshomoroni some shacks were swept away by torrents of water and mud. In Malindi and Watamu, the first torrential rains of the season also flooded entire areas.
In the town of Vasco da Gama, the new water channelling system held along the roundabout and the waterfront, but the hospital area and some streets in the centre were targeted with flooded shops and inconvenience to cars.
The Tana River basin is also at risk, with the Red Cross on alert for possible flooding that could sweep away entire villages. From today, the level of the Sabaki River, inland from Malindi and Mambrui, will also have to be watched. The catastrophes of five years ago must not be forgotten, even if they have been followed by these recent dry seasons.
The Kenyan Meteorological Service, however, has warned that even this season will not reach the averages the country needs to recover from the severe drought that persists, especially in 17 of Kenya's 24 arid and semi-arid regions.