Ten family members are trapped in flood waters in the Entasopia area of Kajiado West sub-county after River Ewuaso Nyiro burst its banks and marooned their home.
A chopper provided by the Kenya Red Cross made attempts on Wednesday morning to land at the home of Mzee Julius Nyerere in the Soweto village but was unable because of the heavy growth of mangoes.
Elder Joseph Sirai told the Star that the chopper made several attempts up to 11.30 am on Wednesday until it left to land elsewhere.
“We are now trying to use the youth who can swim to see if they can manage to secure the family members,” said Sirai.
Sirai said a local Letore Lodge has also brought in another chopper to assist the Red Cross, but their attempts failed too.
He said the water from the Ewuaso Nyiro flooded an area covering about 50 acres of land and the home is right in the middle.
He worries that the phones the family were using cannot be accessed any more due to low charge.
“We are praying that they are alive. The canopy from the mangoes is preventing the chopper from landing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Red Cross has started supplying food to affected people in Entasopia using choppers after the KenHa closed the Oltepesi-Magadi Road.
The food items are collected from Kiserian and flown to Nkurruman and Entasopia where 500 families have been displaced by floods.
The ongoing torrential rains in Kajiado on Tuesday night carried away part of a Church house in Entasopia and damaged several houses in Kitengela town.
Rose Chelule, who lives on the boundary of Noonkopir and Kitengela town, was awakened at 2.30 am after a seasonal river burst its banks and marooned her house for close to 7 hours.
No one was injured in her house as many makeshift houses were flattened by the raging waters along the seasonal river.
Chelule said she had woken up to go for a short call when she stepped in water that went above her knee when she realised that the family was in danger.
“There was nothing I could do because the water outside was raging. We kept our cool and prayed that the house would remain firm,” she said.
Chelule and her children were rescued on Wednesday morning by Kenya Red Cross officials using boats and taken to a safe place.
Wangari Gikonyo, the woman the Star reported her case early on Wednesday morning, said she is out of danger, but was still in the same house that was marooned by flood water.
“I am still in the same house along Balozi Road. My house was built along a nearby seasonal river that burst its banks after a heavy downpour last night,” said Gikonyo.
"Oooh, my God. We are dying. Anyone in Kitengela please help. Floods," Gikoyo had said in her tweet when the water marooned her house.
Many homes along the Old Namanga Road are currently marooned by flood water.
The same thing is also happening in the Kimalat area where the vehicles from Isinya cannot access Kitengela after the floods cut off the Athi River/Namanga Road.
Flood water has also surpassed a bridge near KAG University that is between Kisaju and Kitengela on the Namanga highway.
In Entasopia, Kajiado West sub-county, a Church house was split into two after a seasonal river burst its banks too on Tuesday night.
Joseph Sirai said the house belonging to the local ACK church was damaged on Tuesday night.
“Thank God because the floods only damaged the side where people were not sleeping,” said Sirai.
As of 10 am in Kitengela town, there were no reported deaths.
Police and the Red Cross officials were busy assisting families trapped in their houses to move to safer grounds.
