Nine people, including an eight-month-old baby, have died in floods in Tana River and Kilifi, and more than 86,000 people have been displaced.
According the Kenya Red Cross, seven people lost their lives in Tana River and two in Kilifi since the long rains started a month ago.
Heavy rains continue to pound the region. There are fears the number of victims could increase, especially in inaccessible areas in Tana River.
Red Cross regional coordinator Hassan Musa said on Wednesday that more than 60,000 Tana River residents had no shelter. Only 4,000 have been housed in camps. The Red Cross established 108 camps in Tana River and eight in Kilifi.
Residents risk contracting waterborne diseases, especially those who have yet to get shelter, Musa said in Malindi. Most camps have no latrines.
“The camps have many challenges as it continues to rain,” he said.
Yesterday, 4,500 families in Tana River received nonfood supplies, Musa said.
He said the two counties have shortages of clean water. The heavy rains have stopped the supply from the Sh2.3 billion Baricho plant, which was flooded.
Eight other boreholes in the region were submerged. They cannot pump water to Malindi, Magarini, Kilifi and Mombasa.
The Red Cross plans to provide three water treatment machines to improve access to clean water and avert disease, Musa said.
Two of the machines will be stationed at Garashi and Sabaki Bridge in Kilifi. One will be in Tana River.
Each machine can pump 3,000-5,000 litres of clean water per hour.
Musa said they had dispatched a medical team with a mobile clinic to Tana River. The medics will focus on eliminating health risks and educating residents on how to protect their health.
“We evacuated a number of people in Tana River — the area is inaccessible. We are deploying a boat from Lamu that can carry 10 tonnes of food and nonfood items,” he said.
Schools yet to open
The coordinator added Tana River county is using two speedboats for rescue operations.
In Tana River, 49 schools have yet to open for the second term. In Kilifi, 12 schools are still closed. Some schools are swamped and many camps were also established in schools.
The biggest problem is finding new sites to relocate the large number of displaced people.
Last weekend, Kenya Air Force officers rescued 175 people who had been marooned by floodwaters in Garashi, Kilifi.
The floods hit the village after River Sabaki, which stretches from Athi River, burst its banks.
About 3,000 people in Kakuyuni, Garashi and Sabaki wards were homeless. They appealed for aid. Many roads are impassable and health facilities were destroyed.
In a statement, the KAF said it would assist other authorities as needed.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi spent two days helping with evacuation.
On Thursday last week, the county chief, the soldiers and Red Cross staff evacuated 65 people from Mbogolo.