Rains to reduce this week, says Met
Rain is expected to reduce across the country this week, the weather department says.
Most of the country will remain generally dry, the director of Meteorological Department Stella Aura said in a seven-day forecast.
This is a major relief for farmers who are expected to harvest their crops anytime and prepare their land for the long rains planting season.
Aura says there will be no more morning rains at least until mid this week.
Counties around Lake Victoria will also experience reduced rains, which will ease flooding.
Currently, 600 people families in Kisii are camping in schools after their houses were swept away by mudslides.
Some schools in the area and in Northern Rift Valley are on the verge of closure after swollen rivers cut off the villages where learners live.
However, Aura said Lake Victoria residents should still expect heavy rains in the afternoon.
"Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected over several parts of the country," she said.
A few places in Central Kenya highlands including Nairobi, Embu, Nyeri and Meru might have showers in the afternoon and at night.
Aura said Ukambani, Kajiado and Taita Taveta counties might receive little showers at night.
The Coast might receive light showers in the afternoon, she said in a forecast that covers January 31 to February 5.
The department is on Tuesday expected to issue a three-month forecast covering March-May.
Last week, the Dagoretti-based Igad Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) said this year's long rain season begins early around March 15 in the southern half of the country.
The entire country will receive heavier than average rainfall, said Zewdu Segele, a climate modelling and diagnostics expert at the ICPAC.
Segele, who made a presentation during the 54th Great Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum in Mombasa last week, said temperatures will be higher than normal.
"High probabilities for wetter than average conditions are indicated over western Kenya and neighbouring Uganda and parts of South Sudan," he said.
The forecast shows the rainfall will begin early in most parts and progressively delay towards the north.
Northeastern counties and northwestern regions next to Uganda will be the last to receive rains in the first week of April.
"Except for northeastern Ethiopia along the escarpment, most regions likely will have early onset of the season," Segele said.
The rains could complicate the control of locusts which have swarmed vast swathes of northern Kenya.
Two weeks ago, the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned the locust population in Kenya could multiply 500 times in the next five months due to warm and wet weather.
The last time Kenya faced a locust invasion of this magnitude was before 1950.
FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said something must be done quickly to prevent one of the worst food crises in the country.
The UN agency is seeking Sh7 billion to fight the locusts and provide food to affected people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Last week, FAO received Sh1.3 billion assistance for the three countries.
Both Ethiopia and Somalia are experiencing their worst locust invasion in 25 years.
