Orengo donates food supplies to flood victims

Siaya Governor James Orengo has dispatched food supplies to over 1000 Siaya residents displaced by floods.

Speaking to journalists at his office on Friday before visiting the flood victims, Orengo expressed regret over the unpredictable weather wreaking havoc in the country.

He revealed that farmers in Siaya, particularly those in the lower Nzoia and Yala delta, are expected to register low yields this harvesting season due to the heavy rains that have destroyed most of the crops.

He added that they are planning to develop mechanisms to mitigate human suffering and property destruction during any rainy season, which has become a norm.

Orengo reported that this time around, Siaya was not severely hit by the floods, unlike previous years when the entire county was almost submerged.

He visited flood victims in Usonga, West Yimbo, and West Ugenya, where he donated rice, cooking oil, mosquito nets, and water treatment reagents.

The governor emphasized the need for better planning to avoid massive disruptions from natural calamities like floods, given the increasing awareness of climate change.

He also urged Siaya residents in flood-prone areas to relocate to higher ground to avoid the liabilities associated with runaway floods.

The impact of heavy rains and flash floods continues to escalate, resulting in approximately 210 deaths, 164 injuries, 72 missing persons, 194,305 displaced individuals, and nearly 205,000 affected people across the country.

At least 8,565 livestock have been lost, 36,344 acres of croplands and 46 roads damaged, and 608 small businesses, 39 schools, and 13 health facilities affected across the country.

The Kenya Red Cross Society reported major flooding in Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Narok, Kiambu, Muranga, Nyeri, Nakuru, Laikipia, Garissa, Mandera, and Homabay Counties, while Muranga, Nyeri, and Nakuru Counties experienced landslides and mudslides.

The government issued an evacuation order to all people residing near filled dams or water reservoirs in 33 counties, instructing them to move out immediately within 24 hours or face mandatory evacuation for their safety.

The continued heavy downpour and water stagnation may trigger water-borne, vector-borne, and livestock diseases. Health authorities have already reported 34 cholera cases in Garsen.

Surveillance in the flood-affected counties has been enhanced. Rainfall is expected to continue over several parts of the country in the first two weeks of May, with flooding expected in low-lying areas.

The forecast indicates that heavy rainfall is likely to continue in the central highlands, including Nairobi, Western Kenya, Rift Valley, Lake Victoria basin, the coastal strip, parts of the Southeastern lowlands, and parts of Northern Kenya.