At least ten people have been killed and more than 15 families displaced after the walls of a gulley filled with water burst in Maai Mahiu on Monday morning.
Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said on Monday that at least ten bodies had been recovered and that search and rescue operations were underway.
Debris of destroyed houses in Maai Mahiu after a dam broke its banks.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Naivasha sub-County Police Commander Stephen Kirui said that several people could be trapped in the mud.
Aftermath of Kijabe Dam burst incident in Kamuchiri Village in Mai Mahiu
"A search and rescue operation is underway...The old dam burst early Monday morning before the water swept away several houses. Several people have also been rushed to hospital," Mr Kirui said.
Some of the houses destroyed by floods in Maai Mahiu, Naivasha Sub-county, Nakuru County.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi Nation Media Group
One resident told the Nation that the water gushed out and swept away more than ten houses in the neighbourhood. Dozens of people, including children, are feared trapped in the mud.
People stranded as Kijabe Bridge is swept by floods
Rescue efforts by the Kenya Red Cross and Nakuru County disaster management teams are ongoing, with most of the victims rushed to Naivasha Sub County Hospital.
A vehicle that was swept by floods in Maai Mahiu on April 29, 2024
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
By 9am, at least 15 people had been rescued from the mud and rushed to Naivasha Sub County Hospital. A police officer at the scene said rescuers were still combing through collapsed houses to rescue victims.
"The extent of the damage is yet to be assessed, but the rescue operation is underway," the MP said.
At the same time, the Kenya National Highway Authority has issued a traffic advisory to motorists using the Maai Mahiu-Naivasha highway.
Men try to remove a motorbike from mud after a dam burst in Maai Mahiu in Nakuru County on April 29, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"Heavy rains in the catchment areas of Kinale and Kijabe have led water courses to experience an upsurge which has led to the washing away of debris and several houses," reads a statement by KeNHA.
According to KeNHA, some sections of the highway are impassable. The sections include; -Approximately 700m from Mai Mahiu towards Naivasha and approximately 1km from Mai Mahiu towards Suswa/Narok.
Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara (left) at the scene where 10 people were killed after Old Kijabe dam burst on Monday morning.
Photo credit: Pool
"These areas are heavily affected, with road blockages reported. Currently, traffic is at a standstill around Mai Mahiu centre. The Authority is mobilizing efforts to clear the road and assess damages," KeNHA added.
Motorists have been advised to expect high traffic congestion around Mai Mahiu, following the incident.
