Bad weather in Kenya: resumption of rail freight in Mombasa

Kenya's national railway company announced on Monday the resumption of freight services to and from the port city of Mombasa after they were disrupted by heavy rains and landslides along the coastal region.

The Horn of Africa has in recent weeks experienced intense rains and flash floods linked to the El Niño climatic phenomenon which have left dozens of people dead, including at least 46 in Kenya.

Kenya Railways said on Sunday that a landslide on a section of the freight rail line linking Mombasa to Nairobi had led to "the closure of this axis to all freight trains" , specifying that passenger trains were still running but with delays.

The national railway company announced in a statement released on Monday that "freight train traffic to and from Mombasa has now resumed" . “We are working around the clock to minimize delays ,” Kenya Railways continued, without giving further details on the consequences of this interruption.

Mombasa , the country's second largest city, and its rail freight line serve not only Kenya, but also the region's landlocked neighbors including Uganda , South Sudan , and Rwanda .

The NGO Save the Children said on Thursday that more than 100 people, including 16 children, had died and more than 700,000 people had been forced from their homes in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia due to flash floods.