Flash floods sweep away household items, livestock in Kisumu

Floods

Houses submerged in water in Nyalenda, Kisumu City following Tuesday night downpour.

Photo credit: Angeline Ochieng | Nation Media Group

Hundreds of Nyalenda residents in Kisumu City were on Tuesday forced to spend a night in the cold following a heavy downpour that left several houses submerged in water.

Several household items and livestock were also swept away by flash floods.   

 “The rains started in the evening and continued till late in the night, the floods however caught most of us by surprise," said Mr Joel Obiero, a resident of Kapuothe, Kisumu Central.

The heavy downpour also swept through many farms, destroying crops.

 “We are always driven out of our homes every rainy season, we have appealed for a permanent solution but the government is yet to act,” said Mr Obiero who blamed local politicians for turning the seasonal flooding in the region into a campaign agenda.

Kisumu floods

Houses submerged in water in Nyalenda, Kisumu City following Tuesday night downpour.

Photo credit: Angeline Ochieng | Nation Media Group

Meanwhile, Nyando Kakola assistant chief Jacob Ong’udi said the government has come up with measures that will help prevent the loss of property due to floods. 

Mr Ong’udi disclosed that the government had set up an evacuation Centre at Ombaka Primary School.

In the past, residents who sought refuge in the institution disrupted learning in school. 

He advised the residents to stock enough firewood and cereals during this rainy season.   

He has also appealed to the locals to construct dykes around their homes and clear debris from drainage channels.

“We urge the residents to move to higher grounds in case the floods,” said Mr Ong’udi.