{"id":140237,"date":"2026-05-08T07:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/caution-urged-as-met-agency-projects-intensified-rains-amid-deadly-muranga-landslides\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:02:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:02:46","slug":"caution-urged-as-met-agency-projects-intensified-rains-amid-deadly-muranga-landslides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/caution-urged-as-met-agency-projects-intensified-rains-amid-deadly-muranga-landslides\/","title":{"rendered":"Caution urged as Met agency projects intensified rains amid deadly Murang\u2019a landslides"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 \u2014 The government has urged heightened vigilance in landslide-prone areas after deadly mudslides displaced hundreds of families in Murang\u2019a, even as the Kenya Meteorological Department projected intensified rainfall across several regions beginning this weekend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At least one person has died following landslides in Kangema and Mathioya areas, where heavy rains triggered destruction of homes, farms and infrastructure, forcing authorities to begin relocating approximately 200 households from the high-risk Ngutu area in Gitugi Ward.<\/p>\n

\u201cKangema and Mathioya have recorded incidences of landslides which have unfortunately led to the loss of one life and destruction of property,\u201d the Ministry of Interior and National Administration said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fatal incident occurred in Ngutu area, Gitugi Ward where approximately 200 households were displaced and are set for relocation to safer grounds until the rains subside as the area still remains at risk,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

\n1 dead as landslides hit Kangema and Mathioya in Murang\u2019a, 200 households face relocation<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

The warning comes as the Kenya Meteorological Department forecasts heavy rainfall exceeding 20mm within 24 hours in several parts of the country between May 8 and May 14.<\/p>\n

In an updated heavy rainfall advisory issued Thursday, the Met Department said the rains are expected to intensify across the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, Central Highlands and parts of the Southeastern lowlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intensity is expected to peak between 10th and 13th May 2026 and spread to parts of the Northwestern sector,\u201d the advisory stated.<\/p>\n

The agency warned that although rainfall intensity may reduce from May 14, rains are still expected to continue in the Lake Victoria Basin, Rift Valley and Central Highlands, including Nairobi.<\/p>\n

High-risk counties<\/h2>\n

Counties listed as high-risk areas include Nyeri, Kiambu, Murang\u2019a, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Embu, Meru, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisii, Kakamega, Bungoma, Migori, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Narok among others.<\/p>\n

Meteorologists further cautioned residents living near hilly and landslide-prone terrain to exercise extreme caution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose in landslide-prone areas, especially along the slopes of the Aberdare Ranges, Mt. Kenya, and other hilly regions, should exercise extreme caution,\u201d the advisory warned.<\/p>\n

The government said recent landslides in Murang\u2019a had already caused widespread destruction in Gitugi, Kiru and Kamacharia wards, flattening homes, destroying household property and affecting more than 200 residents.<\/p>\n

In Kiru Ward, the landslides also flattened Kamagogo Full Gospel Church and destroyed farmland, livestock and household goods.<\/p>\n

Authorities are now appealing to residents to remain alert for signs of danger, including soil movement, cracks on the ground and weakened structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appeal for vigilance and reporting of any signs of soil movement, ground cracks or weakened structures to local administrators and disaster management teams,\u201d the government said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Met Department has also advised Kenyans to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas and to avoid taking shelter under trees or near grilled windows due to the risk of lightning strikes.<\/p>\n

Emergency response teams remain on standby as heavy rains continue to pound multiple parts of the country.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 \u2014 The government has urged heightened vigilance in landslide-prone areas after deadly mudslides displaced hundreds of families in Murang\u2019a, even as the Kenya Meteorological Department projected intensified rainfall across several regions beginning this weekend. At least one person has died following landslides in Kangema and Mathioya areas, where heavy rains triggered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}