Relief as rains start in Western Kenya
Kisumu residents brave the rains to rush home on March 27, 2020.
Some parts of Western region have received rains after several months of a dry spell, a huge relief for farmers who are currently preparing their land for the planting season.
This comes as the Kenya Meteorological Department said that rainfall is expected over the next few days in Lake Victoria Basin, the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley as well as the South and Central Rift Valley.
"The rest of the country is likely to be generally sunny and dry," the weatherman said.
In Kakamega County, rains that fell on Sunday evening were accompanied by strong winds and hailstones. Rainfall started shortly after 6.30pm and continued for close to two hours.
Residents who were still going about their normal activities in town late in the evening were caught by surprise as the rains pounded the region accompanied by thunderstorms.
The County Director of Meteorology, Mr Vincent Sakwa, explained that the violent storm accompanying the rain had something to do with the prevailing hot weather conditions in most parts of the region.
“We are currently preparing our next weekly weather forecast, which will be available to the public on Thursday. We are urging our farmers to consult local agricultural extension officers for advice on how to plan farming activities in light of the forecast,” said Mr Sakwa.
A group of people push a vehicle from mud after it got stuck due to heavy rains in a past photo. Kakamega and its environs witnessed a heavy downpour last evening.
According to the weekly weather forecast for Kakamega covering the period from February 21-27, the weatherman had indicated that some parts of the county would receive rains from Saturday for the next three days.
It remains sunny
The weather would, however, remain sunny and dry in places, with moderate rains expected in a few of them.
“Hot days and cold nights are likely during the forecast period. Afternoon temperatures expected to range between 28 degrees and 34 degrees centigrade,” said the weekly weather forecast for Kakamega.
Mr Robert Ramadhan, a farmer at Shirere in Bukhungu location on the outskirts of Kakamega town said he had prepared his land and was planning to do the second ploughing before proceeding with planting at the onset of the long rains.
“I have bought the fertiliser and maize seeds for planting. It’s too soon to tell whether the rains will be sufficient but I’m ready for the planting season,” said Mr Ramadhan.
He said he had received the subsidised fertiliser from the government and paid Sh3,500 for the 50 kilogramme bag.
“I’m planning to buy some subsidised fertiliser and seed from county government so that I do not run short of the inputs during the planting,” said Mr Ramadhan.
However, residents of Mumias and parts of Malava said they did not receive the rains.
In Ikoli village, Kakamega North Sub County along the Nandi escarpment, Mr Richard Shiyonga said strong winds had disrupted the rains.
“There were strong signs of the rains falling along the escarpment, but the strong winds started blowing and disrupted the rains. We are going on with the land preparation and hope that there will be more rains in the next few days,” said Mr Shiyonga.
