•Those collected in Mathare were swept to the area following the rains on Tuesday night.
•Officials fear the death toll might increase as the rescue mission goes on.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
At least 13 bodies have been recovered from separate places in Nairobi following heavy rains experienced in Nairobi.
Police said 11 of the bodies were recovered in Mathare, one in Kibera and another in Kayole.
Those collected in Mathare were swept to the area following the rains on Tuesday night.
Officials fear the death toll might increase as the rescue mission goes on.
Hundreds of people have been displaced by the floods due to the rains that have been pounding the city.
This has affected major roads and estates, with the flash floods leaving houses near rivers inhabitable.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said emergency multi-agency teams are combing various places in search and rescue mission.
He urged those living near river paths to move out given the projection by the Kenya Meteorological Department shows that the rains will increase in the coming days.
“The teams are still on the ground to assess the situation but we continue to urge those who can to move out of the paths,” Bungei said.
Various agencies have joined the search and rescue mission.
The floods have killed dozens and displaced many in other parts of the country.
The rains have also caused landslides in Narok, Kisii and Limuru which has resulted in at least seven deaths.
President William Ruto said he had held talks with leaders of places badly affected by the floods and agreed to mobilise resources to address the menace.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader Raila Odinga has called on President William Ruto to declare the ongoing heavy floods a national disaster.
He has further called on President Ruto to dispatch military response units as part of an emergency protocol to help mitigate the damage being caused by the floods.
Raila also wants an emergency fund established to assist flood victims.
Raila disclosed that opposition-allied Members of Parliament have since jointly raised a Sh1 million donation which shall be presented to the Kenya Red Cross for the cause.
“The President and government should declare the floods a national disaster and immediately activate all emergency mechanisms, including military disaster response teams,” Raila said.
Raila urged Governor Johnson Sakaja to undertake proper rescue efforts in areas most affected by the floods and provide relevant support to all victims.
He further urged the government to put in place long-lasting measures to deal with the perennial menace, noting that “as a country, we can do better than crying for help when rains come and crying for help again when the rains fail.”
“While we continue to receive reports from other parts of Nairobi and access to some neighbourhoods remains critically limited, we appeal to the government and other disaster response agencies to launch thorough search and rescue efforts in all affected areas and provide food rations, blankets and medication to affected residents,” he said.
Raila said the forecast by the weatherman had indicated a likelihood of more rains continuing this week, raising concern that the situation might get worse.
In anticipation for the worst, he called for preparedness as a key measure to mitigate any further crisis of larger proportions.