Strong winds aftermath: 23-year-old woman dead

A 23-year-old woman from Kangaine Estate in Mwea, Kirinyaga County died on Tuesday evening shortly after strong winds hit the constituency and other parts of Kenya.

Winnie Wambui was fatally electrocuted when she went to set up her television antenna, which had lost TV signals after the strong winds hit Kangaine Estate.

Wambui was taken to a Mwea hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Mwea East Sub-County commander, John Onditi, confirmed the incident.

“The lady’s landlord filed a report at my office, and I have since asked Kenya Power to investigate what exactly led to the woman’s electrocution,” Onditi told K24 Digital.

The police boss says apart from Wambui’s case, no destruction of property or other deaths were reported in Mwea East as a result of the Tuesday windstorms.

“I also urge Kenyans to ensure their electronic devices are disconnected from the power sources before embarking on fixing minor electrical problems at home,” said Onditi.

The Tuesday evening winds were experienced for at least 20 minutes in Mwea.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has advised Kenyans to exercise extra caution outdoors after the strong winds hit parts of the capital Nairobi and other counties.

Besides Nairobi, Kitui, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Narok are among the counties that experienced the high winds, which uprooted trees and led to power outages.

The winds whipped up dust storms, uprooted trees, pulled down billboards and knocked off power lines.

Kenya’s power distribution company, Kenya Power, is still conducting repairs in some of the affected residential areas in Nairobi.

Samuel Mwangi, Deputy Director at the Kenya Meteorological Department, told the BBC similar storms may be experienced in the coming days, although not as strong as Tuesday’s.

“It is good to be careful, especially if you are walking towards billboards or temporary structures,” he said.

Northern Tanzania, especially the city of Arusha, was also hit by the high winds.

Mwangi said the storm was caused by a common phenomenon but the impact may have been enhanced by the prevailing dry conditions which led to huge clouds of dust.

He said it results from a build-up of vertical clouds and it is the same condition which leads to hailstorms, lightning and thunder.

“Once the rain sets and the area is wet, dust will be reduced,” he said.