Over 70 killed, thousands displaced in floods havoc

More than 70 people have died, and more than 130,000 people affected by floods across the country since the onset of the rains, the government said yesterday.

Some 22 people have been injured while eight are missing, a report by Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua showed.

In terms of distribution, Nairobi leads with the number of casualties at 32, followed by Rift Valley (15). Both Western and Eastern have recorded six deaths each, with Central recording three and Coast two. North Eastern has none. 

Cumulatively, 24,000 households and 131,179 people have been affected by the flooding menace. The death toll from the floods could, however, go higher after a Makueni accident yesterday claimed the lives of five people, adding to five others that had been swept away, and their bodies recovered, this week.

The five were among an unknown number of people who jumped onto a lorry which attempted to cross the swollen River Kwa Muswii along Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road. 

Witnesses said they had been waiting for hours for the waters to subside and had grown impatient. 

"The lorry was transporting building materials towards Kasikeu Township. The driver asked people to jump on board to make the vehicle heavier so that it can manoeuvre the raging waters with ease.

It was swept away shortly afterwards as we watched helplessly," said Robert Muuo, an eye witness. The government promised a Sh4 billion from the treasury for national disaster response will be availed.

DP Gachagua said the government has made several interventions such as financial allocation for immediate response to the rains havoc.

As the Meteorological department warned that heavy rainfall will continue through to the weekend, Mr Gachagua asked county governments to reconsider adjusting their budgets and prioritise disaster.

“We are in discussions with the National Treasury and we are trying to put up Sh4 billion as emergency fund.

The National Youth Service will be facilitated to resettle the displaced families, unblock drainages and waterways and handle the spilling dams. The National Disaster Response Centre will be 24 hours open to monitor the situation in the country,” said the DP.

On the Makueni incident yesterday, the Nation has established that many of those involved in the accident were hawkers and other small scale traders heading to Kasikeu Township for a weekly market day.

"After a lorry carrying more than 10 people was swept away by raging waters, seven people have been rescued and rushed to Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital," Kenya Red Cross said in a statement.

Makueni Devolution Executive, who is also the head of special programmes, at the devolved unit Japheth Mang'oka reported three deaths and six missing persons. "It is said the lorry was carrying 25 people when the accident occurred. So far we have recovered three bodies.

Some six families have registered their missing persons," he told reporters.

The seasonal river which starts from the neighbouring Kajiado County had swollen following heavy rainfall which had pounded the region overnight. This paralysed transport along Kasikeu-Sultan road and inconvenienced scores headed to a weekly open air market at Kasikeu Township.

A video of the incident shows the lorry wading into the raging waters before it was swept away, setting off frenzied distress calls from tens of onlookers.

The accident set off rescue operations by volunteers, Kenya Red Cross and Makueni County disaster management officials.

"We have so far rescued 11 people. Six of them have been treated at Sultan Hamud Sub-county Hospital and discharged. Among those admitted, two are in stable condition. Three have suffered minor cuts. One of the three has a suspected head injury," Mr Mang'oka said.

Those who were confirmed dead include a woman who was heading to hawk assorted items at Kasikeu Township. Those who are believed to have drowned include a child, whose mother survived the ordeal after swimming to safety.

She was heading home from Sultan Hamud Township when the accident occurred.

"My sister has survived the accident. But she is inconsolable because her child remained in the raging waters," Paul Kimatu wrote in a WhatsApp group on the day the region struggled to come to terms with the disaster, the latest to hit the area served by the seasonal stream which swells without notice.

In the wake of enhanced rainfall across the country, the DP also cautioned Kenyans to desist from daring nature and be responsible. The weatherman, according to the DP, has warned that the country is expecting heavy rains on Friday and Saturday and will start subsiding on Sunday and Monday.

“We appeal to Kenyans to be responsible for their own lives and safety. In some instances, we have seen people being adventurous and daring to cross swollen rivers. We urge Kenyans to exercise caution and be responsible for their own lives. They must know they carry the aspirations of their families,” he said.

Other interventions, he said, include resettlement of displaced families, restoration of bridges washed away by the raging waters, repair of critical infrastructure, activation of the National Disaster Response Centre and distribution of food, non-food and pharmaceutical items to the affected families.

At the same time, the DP asked those living near Kiambere Dam and those on lower regions around dams to move to higher grounds, even as water levels have continued rising in three dams in Embu and Kirinyaga counties ,following heavy rains and resulting in panic among the residents.

In Embu, Masinga and Kiambeere dams are spilling, threatening the lives of the residents living in lowlands. At Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga, water has increased and residents fear they may be swept away.

Those living close to these dams are already counting losses after floods destroyed their crops which they had planted.

"Water from the dam is flowing into our homesteads and we are worried the worst may befall us," said one of the residents Mr John Gichobi.

"We normally plant crops on the portion of the dams when there is little water but now we have incurred heavy losses due to heavy rains, our crops have been swept away, we fear that our houses may be submerged if it continues raining," another resident said.

The government appealed to residents especially those within Garissa and Tana River to move to higher grounds In Nairobi where some 64 schools have been marooned by floods, the government said their reopening may be delayed as situation may dictate.

Nairobi County has 200 public schools and over 800 private schools.

All other schools will reopen as earlier scheduled subject to review on case by case basis.