Floods death toll rises to 238, 75 people still missing
Residents of Sigiri wade through flood waters in Budalangi on 7th May 2024. The floods were caused by an overflow from Lake Victoria due to ongoing heavy rains in the Nyanza region.
Isaac Wale/Nation
What you need to know:
- Additional eight fatalities in the last 24 hours, 174 people have been reported injured and 47,000 families, or 235,000 people, displaced.
The number of people who have died due to the ongoing floods has risen to 238, while 75 are still missing according to the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that this follows the reporting of an additional eight fatalities in the last 24 hours, 174 people have been reported injured and 47,000 families, or 235,000 people, displaced.
He added that 167 camps had been set up across 22 counties, hosting 70,451 people and approximately 286,011 people have been impacted by the heavy rains.
“Transport, housing, education, health, and agriculture are the most affected sectors,” he said, adding that about 1,967 were grappling with various losses.
On Monday, President William Ruto said that the government will spend Sh1 billion to rehabilitate schools destroyed by floods.
According to the Head of State, the money will enable all children to resume schooling once schools officially reopen.
“Their schools have been destroyed by flash floods. I would like to announce that as the government of Kenya, we have donated Sh1 billion to rebuild the schools. This is to ensure that every child in Nairobi and every other child in other parts of the country will go back to school,” the president said while visiting flood victims in Kiamaiko, Mathare, Nairobi.
The announcement came days after the President issued a directive postponing the reopening of schools indefinitely. Several institutions have reported that their facilities have been destroyed by recent floods.
Ruto also promised Sh10,000 to each of the 40,000 households displaced in Nairobi County.
“Every household of the 40,000 households that have been displaced in Nairobi County will be paid Sh10,000 so that they find alternative accommodation for the time being.”
President Ruto also unveiled plans for the construction of thousands of new homes in Nairobi's most affected areas.
He said the government will build 5,000 houses in Kiamaiko, 5,000 in Kibera, and an additional 10,000 in Kasarani Mwiki.
