It’s raining everywhere, no place to hide, Kenyans told to brace for tougher times
Vehicles drive through a flooded section of UN Avenue on April 23, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Little Bees Kindergarten and Primary School is submerged
- In North Rift, more than 400 families have been displaced and several hectares of food crops damaged
- The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned Kenyans to brace for more heavy rain.
There is flooding in parts of Turkana County after Lake Turkana burst its banks.
Felix Kavi had to wade through knee-high water to reach the gate. He resides in 360 Phase Two estate, Syokimau, in Machakos County which has been submerged in water. His is among scores of families in the estate which have been affected for the last three days.
The worried residents watch helplessly as the water levels continue to rise dangerously.
The sewage system for residents who live on the ground floor was blocked on Tuesday and the water in the underground storage tanks was contaminated.
Seven families at Likii Estate, Nanyuki Town were displaced after River Nanyuki burst it's banks.
In Maxim, Syokimau, the situation is more dire. Marcella Mbithe, who has lived in the area since 1992, said that she woke up last Friday to the horror of a submerged house.
“It has never been this bad,” a worried Mbithe said. “The issue is the many buildings that are going up without consideration of reengineering of the drainage. I wish we could be helped before it gets out of hand.”
Schools in the area are not spared either. Little Bees Kindergarten and Primary School is submerged. To get to the classrooms, one has to wade through water.
The Nation learnt that some books were ruined, and the extent of damage will only be known once the water is drained out. At Masinga Dam, the water levels continued rising as heavy rains persisted in Embu County.
Residents are counting heavy losses after floods destroyed their crops.
Residents of Supa Care apartment block in Ruaka area salvage some of their belongings on April 23, 2024 after their houses were flooded as a result of heavy rains.
"We normally plant crops on a portion of land near the dam. Now, we have incurred huge losses due to heavy rains. Our crops have been swept away," one of the residents said.
On Wednesday last week, the government sounded the alarm following the spilling of water from Masinga Dam. The dam, the largest water reservoir for power production in the country, has surpassed its capacity of 1056.5 cubic meters.
In North Rift, more than 400 families have been displaced and several hectares of food crops damaged or submerged as floods wreak havoc following recent heavy rains.
The floods have also damaged roads and infrastructure. Transport services in several places have been disrupted in the region. In Turkana, West Pokot, and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties, property of unknown value has been destroyed by flash floods as dams and rivers burst their banks.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned Kenyans to brace for more heavy rain.
The Kenya Red Cross Society and county governments in the region are supplying families displaced by floods with medical equipment and drugs to curb an outbreak of waterborne disease.
There is flooding in parts of Turkana County after Lake Turkana burst its banks.
The lake has swollen to unprecedented levels, putting the lives of scores of villagers who rely on it for fish at great risk.
Residents of Supa Care apartment block in Ruaka area salvage what they can on 23 April 2024 after heavy rains that hit various parts of the country on Monday night flooded roads and a number of homesteads.
“Flash floods have hit Lodwar town in the last 24 hours. Some dams and rivers in the region are likely to burst due to the heavy downpour,” North Rift Kenya Red Cross Manager Oscar Okumu said.
He added that 360 families have been displaced by floods in Lodwar, Turkana County, and are in need of food and non-food items.
A flooded children's playground at Little Bees Kindergarten and Primary School located along Mombasa Road on April 23, 2024.
Residents of Kerio, Kang'atotha, Kalokol, Kataboi, Nachukui, Lowarengeak, and Kalokol villages, which are near the shores of Lake Turkana, are spending nights in the cold after the lake water rose and submerged villages and fishing gear.
It is a similar situation for families in the Nandi Escarpment. Traders in Tindiret and Meteitei are counting heavy losses.
“Most families affected by floods need psychological and social support, shelter, food and non-food items,” said Mr Okumu.
In Trans Nzoia County, flooding has not been reported, but the county government and the Kenya Red Cross have set up a contingency team for any eventuality.
In Nairobi, the government has directed respective administrators in the sprawling Mukuru slums, where land grabbers have erected structures on riparian land along Ngong River, to remove them.
Residents of the slums have their houses marooned by floods.
A National Environment Management Authority official who cannot be named due to protocol reasons said: “Structures have been mushrooming on the opposite riparian land, others stretch from Old Mukuru-Reuben slum. The is a danger of encroachment near the bridge in Embakasi.”
On Sunday, the weatherman predicted that the rains are not yet over and will continue pouring up to June.
360 Degree Apartment block located in Syokimau along Mombasa Road flooded on April 23, 2024.
At the same time, a vital road linking Nyandarua and Laikipia counties, from Gwa Kungu market through Pesi to Nanyuki, has been damaged by the heavy rains, forcing travellers to use the longer Kagondo-Muthiga road. This diversion is an additional 20 kilometres of the journey, traversing Muruku market.
Matatu driver Jacob Mwangi lamented about the neglect of road maintenance by authorities over the past two years. To compound residents’ woes, authorities have issued a warning to people living near Muthiga Dam of an imminent overflow.
The dam is full to the brim and poses a significant threat. Residents have made an urgent call to local leaders for the replacement of the dam gates to avert a catastrophe.
In Kinangop Constituency, flood waters from Karoroha River killed six dairy cows. Vast swathes of farmland have been submerged, dealing a severe blow to residents who depend on farming for a livelihood.
In Samburu County, the Meteorological Department has put locals in lowland areas on high alert as a heavy downpour continues to wreak havoc.
"Flooding is expected in low-lying areas, plains, and urban areas with poor drainage," said the Met Department in a statement.
Motorists and pedestrians were stranded for nearly an hour after River Nanyuki burst its banks and rendered the bridge connecting Nanyuki and Timau impassable.
The water levels in Ewaso Nyiro River in Samburu East had sharply increased yesterday due to heavy rainfall that has been pouring nationwide. With rainfall expected to continue in the country, swollen rivers are posing a huge threat to Kenyans living in lowlands and along rivers. The rains have caused death and destruction in Ruaka, Kiambu County. One person has been reported dead. Yesterday, scenes of houses submerged in water were witnessed in Kiambu County, especially in Thindigua and Ruaka due to a heavy downpour witnessed on Monday night.
One person was declared dead on Monday and two others were injured after a perimeter wall collapsed. Many houses in the area have been submerged.
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has already issued a warning to tenants of the affected residential buildings to vacate them until the county government ascertains their suitability and safety. Mr Wamatangi on Monday said the county government will continue with inspection to avert any scenario where buildings collapse or cave in due to poor workmanship. The inspection also targets buildings that were not approved.
Reporting by Daniel Ogetta, Simon Ciuri, Sammy Lutta, Barnabas Bii, Evans Jaola, George Munene, Sammy Kimatu, Waikwa Maina and Geoffrey Ondieki
