Beaches were deserted and many shops closed on Saturday as heavy rains and winds from a tropical cyclone buffeted coastal areas of Tanzania and Kenya.
Both countries have gone on alert for Tropical Cyclone Hidaya, after weeks of torrential rains and floods that have wreaked havoc in many parts of East Africa and claimed more than 400 lives.
But there were no reports of casualties or damage as of Saturday afternoon as the cyclone rolled in from the Indian Ocean and made landfall in Tanzania.
Kenya's Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki announced a ban on all beach activities, swimming and fishing.
The Tanzanian Meteorological Authority said there had been strong winds and heavy downpours along the coast overnight.
Cyclone season
The agency advised people living in risk-prone areas and those involved in marine activities to take "maximum precautions".
In the Zanzibar archipelago, all marine transport has been suspended.
"We believe it's not safe to travel under such weather conditions caused by the cyclone," Zanzibar Maritime Authority director general Sheikha Ahmed Mohamed told AFP.
Cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean normally lasts from November to April and there are around a dozen storms each year.
The Kenya Meteorological Department said the cyclone was already being felt offshore, with strong winds exceeding 40 knots and waves of over two metres (over six feet).
Heavy rain forecast
It forecast heavy rainfall along the coast from Sunday, intensifying over the following two days, but said Kenya would only feel the effects of the cyclone from the "fringes" because of its location on the equator.
Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday described the weather picture as "dire" and postponed the reopening of schools indefinitely, with the approach of what he said was the nation's first-ever cyclone.
Around 210 people have died in Kenya from flood-related incidents and nearly 100 are missing.
A further 165,000 have been forced to flee their homes, according to government data.
On Thursday, the interior ministry ordered anyone living near major rivers or dams to leave the area within 24 hours or face "mandatory evacuation for t heir safety".
It warned that 178 dams and reservoirs were at risk of spilling over.
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