Morning Briefing

Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya, which have affected more than 40,000 people and caused at least a dozen deaths, are "complicating efforts to reach thousands of people made homeless by the flooding, an official of the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told IRIN." Nelly Muluka, KRCS public relations and communications officer, said on Monday that in some areas "there is the danger of waterborne diseases breaking out after latrines and boreholes were submerged and in other areas, water pipelines have burst," according to IRIN. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said those affected by flooding "urgently require relief aid such as food, mosquito nets, tents, blankets, cooking utensils and medicine," the news service writes, adding, "Teams comprising government, KRCS and U.N. officials are involved in rapid assessments of the flooding situation, a humanitarian official, who requested anonymity, told IRIN" (12/6).