Governor Nyong’o appeals for help as floods displace families in Kisumu
A mother guides her child to school in a flooded area in Kisumu County on January 4, 2021
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has appealed for help to support thousands of families that have been displaced by floods in the county.
The county chief noted that the bursting of River Nyando banks and the backflow from the swollen Lake Victoria waters have worsened the situation.
He pointed out that most households in the Nyando basin, Kano plains, Lower Nyakach, Muhoroni, Kisumu East and Seme sub counties are the most affected by the floods.
Residents sail on a boat at their flooded village in Kakola Ombaka on May 12, 2021.
“Thousands of them (residents) have been displaced, hence our appeal for help to enable us to assist our fellow brothers and sisters who are in dire need,” said Prof Nyong’o.
The governor said that the situation is expected to worsen in the next one month as heavy rains continue to pound parts of the lakeside county, leaving homes, schools and churches either submerged or cut off from the rest of the country.
To mitigate the current situation, the county boss requested well-wishers and other organisations to provide tents, foodstuff, mattresses, blankets, medicine, water tanks and clean water, and excavators for opening the water drainage.
“We are also looking for those who can offer trucks for ferrying the displaced persons to the higher grounds as well as any other item within their disposal that can help salvage the situation,” he said in a letter seen by Nation.
St. Paul's Nyamasao Primary School at Kakola Ombaka in Nyando, Kisumu County. The school was been closed indefinitely due to floods on May 12, 2021.
The county says the donations can be taken to Mama Grace Onyango Social Centre.
Some of the affected learning institutions include St Paul Nyamasao, Ogenya primary schools in Nyando and St Marks Nyabera and Kasagam schools in Kisumu East Sub County.
In Kakola-Ombaka location, assistant chief Jacob Ongudi indicated that over 1,800 families have been forced to seek shelter in nearby churches.
In the neighbouring Kanyagwal Location, area chief Boniface Nyandeje indicated that floods have affected the entire Ogenya sub location while over 90 per cent of the residents in Anyuro have already left their homes.
