Death toll from kenya floods almost doubles to 120

BY A STAFF REPORTER: The death toll from floods in parts of Kenya has nearly doubled to 120, a government official said on Tuesday.

"More than 89,000 families have been displaced and taken shelter in more than 112 camps," Raymond Omolo, a top interior ministry official, said in a statement. Kenya and its Horn of Africa neighbours Somalia and Ethiopia are battling flash floods caused by rainfall linked to El Niño weather patterns, just as they are recovering from their worst drought in four decades. ' 

President William Ruto chaired an emergency cabinet meeting on the disaster on Monday and pledged to release billions of Kenyan shillings (millions of dollars) to the affected areas.

"Seventy-six Kenyans have been killed and more than 35,000 families have been forced to leave their homes," his office said in a statement after the meeting. '