- Four other pupils were admitted with various head injuries, police said.
- They were aged five, two, and two are aged four years.
At least two people were killed as strong winds from Tropical Cyclone IALY wreaked havoc along the Kenyan coast on Tuesday. Among the victims was a four-year-old pupil, authorities reported.
Coast police chief George Sedah confirmed the destruction of property and loss of lives as the cyclone’s fierce winds swept through the region. “We have dispatched teams to the affected villages to assess and confirm the extent of the damage,” Sedah said.
The young pupil tragically lost their life when the powerful winds tore through Gogoraruhe Mosque ECD School around 4 pm, ripping off the roof. The incident occurred in Mbalamweni sub-location, Kayafungo location, Kaloleni. Police responded swiftly, rushing five injured pupils to Mariakani Sub County Hospital, where one female pupil succumbed to her injuries. The other four pupils, aged five, two, and two of them aged four years, were admitted with various head injuries.
In neighbouring Rabai’s Mwele area, the winds demolished the roof of a warehouse. Two employees of Salima Gases Kenya Limited were seriously injured by falling debris. They were taken to the hospital, but one, Elvis Wasi Changawa, 32, later died. The other injured worker was transferred to a hospital in Mombasa for further treatment.
The storm also caused significant damage to infrastructure. At the Kilifi North Sub County offices, the parking lot roof was blown away, damaging two Ford Ranger vehicles. In Mombasa, the winds ripped the roof off a structure at Mbaraki Girls Comprehensive School, though fortunately, no injuries were reported.
On Wednesday, authorities and the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) began visiting affected villages to assess the full extent of the damage. KRCS reported that the extreme winds had blown off roofs of homes and toppled electric poles in various areas, including Casuarina, Olimpia, Madunguni in Malindi County, and Garashi in Kilifi County, leading to widespread power outages.
The Kenya Meteorological Department had warned of potential disruptions to marine activities due to Tropical Cyclone IALY. Generally, a tropical cyclone is considered to have formed when mean surface winds exceed 35 knots (65 km/h).
In a marine update issued Tuesday evening, Director David Gikungu highlighted the historical significance of the cyclone, noting its rare position northwest of 5°S/45°E. He forecast that the intense system would cause adverse weather conditions along the coast.
Gikungu advised that strong southerly winds of 10–30 knots and waves ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 meters were expected over Kenyan and Tanzanian waters, resulting in moderate to rough sea conditions. Small boats and crafts were advised to avoid deep-sea areas during the forecast period.
“Ialy is expected to weaken starting Tuesday evening and into the night, ultimately dissipating by Wednesday, while remaining offshore despite passing within 150 km of the Kenyan coast,” Gikungu noted.
He added that the sea would remain breezy in the afternoons, characterized by rough waves due to moderately strong southerly winds of 10–23 knots. Wave heights from the southeast were predicted to decrease to 4–8 feet with shorter periods of 9 seconds, and visibility was expected to be moderate, ranging from 9 to 10 km in Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Lamu.
As the region grapples with the aftermath of Cyclone IALY, the focus remains on recovery and assessing the long-term impacts of this rare and devastating weather event.
