KENYA FLOODS: AT LEAST 81 PEOPLE KILLED IN WEEKS OF TORRENTIAL RAINS. (PHOTO).

 Kenya floods: At least 81 people killed in weeks of torrential rains

Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said on Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.

In the country's hard-hit west, residents waded through flood waters with their belongings on their heads and evacuated in crowded boats.

Flash floods submerged entire villages in Kisumu county, destroying around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of farmland and sweeping away crops.

More than 3,000 families have been forced from their homes in the community of Nyakach, with some sheltering in eight evacuation centres, locals said, as rising waters from the overflowing River Mirui continue to threaten the community.

"We have lost quite a number of farmlands with massive erosion, and the farm plants that we had planted ," said the chief of Nyakach, Seth Oluoch Agwanda, 57.

Widespread destruction

The capital Nairobi has the highest death toll in the floods, with 37 people killed, authorities said.

"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement, AFP reported.

"Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."

On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighbourhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media.

Authorities called for "extreme caution".

Two people drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP.

Climate change

Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.

The March rains have repeatedly turned Nairobi streets to raging rivers, flooding thousands of homes and businesses.

Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades.