Thousands of Kenyans displaced by Lake Naivasha flooding

THE tourist boats that normally ply Kenya's famed Lake Naivasha have had a different task in recent weeks: evacuating hundreds of flooded homes.

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Although the lake's level has been rising for more than a decade and has repeatedly breached its banks, locals in the modest district of Kihoto are still astonished by the scale this year.

“It hasn't happened like this before,” said one resident, Rose Alero.

The Rift Valley lake has travelled up to 1.5km inland, say local officials, an unprecedented distance.

“People are suffering,” said Alero, a 51-year-old grandmother, adding that many neighbours were sick.

In her home, the water is waist-deep, and toilets are overflowing throughout the district.

“People are stuck... they have nowhere to go.”