Devastation and danger as floods havoc sustains

From mudslides, to major roads getting submerged, to residential homes being flooded, the ongoing heavy rains continue to cause havoc across the country with no signs of abating.

As residents of various estates of Kitengela had the torrents seal off their houses, a section of Thika road had to be closed to forestall a tragedy as water submerged it.

This is as government spokesman Isaac Mwaura updated on Thursday that the country has so far lost 179 people to the ongoing floods.

Ten of these deaths happened in the past 24 hours, with the bodies collected in different parts of the country, he said.

Some 164 are adults and 15 children. 20 more people have been reported missing raising the number to 90.

"Another 125 Kenyans have been injured and are receiving treatment in health facilities across the country. The government conveys its sincere condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and wishes a quick recovery to the injured," Mwaura said.

An additional 1,127 households have been displaced by the waters, raising the number of displaced households to 31,341 with 195,011 people affected.

He said the government has set up displacement camps to provide alternative accommodation to the displaced.

In Murangá, the area Governor Irungu Kangáta confirmed that there was mudslide in Mairi Kinyona areas of Kigumo constituency after a long and heavy overnight downpour.

“The county will do its best to remedy effects of floods and landslide,” he said, adding that “we urge citizens of Murang’a to be extra vigilant in these times.”

Nairobi’s Pipeline area also suffered much deluge with houses and parked public service vehicles getting half submerged.

As part of minimising risk of damage from the water, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority directed on Thursday that flooded petrol stations stop operation.

This is to ensure public safety and maintain the quality of petroleum products. 

EPRA said it was concerned about the integrity of Petroleum Underground Storage Tank systems, which could be compromised due to floodwaters or extended periods of heavy rain.

The authority noted that the presence of water in the underground storage tanks affects the quality of petroleum products which may lead to breakdown of motor vehicles.

"Any retail petrol station which has been flooded should temporarily remain closed and monitored. The retail stations should assess the extent of the flooding, clean up any debris and ensure the quality of its products before resuming operations," reads the statement.

The exacerbation of the rains comes after the early Monday morning flooding in Mai Mahiu that killed 48 people as of Wednesday with 53 people still missing.

Search and rescue efforts by NYS personnel and volunteers continues in the area with the personnel combing the debris and thick mud for bodies.

President William Ruto who toured the area on Wednesday urged for vigilance and adherence to safety measures as the nation grapples with the devastating tragedy.

The Mai Mahiu flood's fury was indiscriminate, flattening farms, houses reduced to rubble, and the Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road became a thick, impassable sludge.

But amid the thick dark cloud was a silver lining, Kenya National Highways Authority announced on Thursday that Athi River-Namanga road is to be opened after its temporally closure Wednesday morning due to heavy flooding at Kimalat area. 

KeNHA said in an update Wednesday afternoon that flood waters which had necessitated the closure have subsided.

"The authority, however, appeals to road users to approach Kimalat section of the highway with caution even though traffic flow has been restored," Director general Kung'u Ndung'u said.

Social media proved vital in these times of deadly floods, as marooned victims raise the red flag in the platforms and called for help.

Like in Kitengela, many of the affected residents took to social media to call for help even as humanitarian organisations such as the Kenya Red Cross swung into action to evacuate families.

As early as 2 am Wednesday, several residents were unable to move out of their houses because of the flooding.

"We are currently on the ground assisting families to move to safety in Kitengela, Kajiado county, following heavy rainfall," the Kenya Red Cross tweeted.

Evacuations were being conducted in households along Deliverance Road, Balozi Road, Baraka Road, Blessed Court, New Valley, Changombe, and KAG area.

The latest information from the Kenya Red Cross indicated that six people in critical situations had been rescued.

"Efforts to reach others in this challenging operation continue," the society said.

Many people have been stranded after Thika Road flooded Wednesday morning at Kenyatta University and Juja.

For Thika Super Highway, traffic got interrupted with the highway authority later closing the Thika bound section due to the deluge that submerged the underpass of the Juja Flyover area.

Motorists were using Service Lane to access the highway past High Point area. Also submerged are Traffic Police Offices within Juja police station.

Police were forced to turned away motorists on both sides of the road to avert a tragedy. Vehicles from Nairobi heading towards Thika were making u-turns and coming back to the Githurai roundabout.

Traffic officers were on the ground diverting motorists towards Mwihoko road to join the Eastern bypass and to 44 Road towards Kahawa West so that they can proceed to Thika.

Githurai and Mwiki areas have also been affected after they experienced heavy rains during the night.

In Kisumu, over 5,000 people were forced out of their homes due to the floods due to a backflow of water from Lake Victoria.

Nyando and Kadibo subcounties have been worst hit by the waters leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Besides completely submerging homes and social joints by the shores of the lake, Luo vernacular radio station—Radio Lake Victoria—was taken off air as the torrent swept into its studios, destroying its equipment and submerging key facilities.