- The areas which were badly affected were the Junda area in Kisauni where there was a mudslide and the Kibarani area where there were floods.
- Jomvu subcounty disaster management chair Bakari Ali said he already received reports that two houses in his area had been destroyed by the heavy rains.
Image: Aura Ruth
At least one person has been confirmed dead after the heavy downpour was experienced in Mombasa on Thursday night and the better part of Friday Morning.
The areas which were badly affected were the Junda area in Kisauni where there was a mudslide and the Kibarani area where there were floods.
Janet Akinyi, a mother of five said that she received a call at 4.00 am and upon arrival, she found the body of her son lying on the floor.
According to Janet, her son Walter Sewe, aged 20 died as a result of the impact of the wall which fell on him while he was asleep.
“I was not with my son in the same house at the time of the incident because we do not stay together, we both live in different rental houses, I was called when the incident happened but when I arrived, the body of my son was lying lifeless on the floor,” she said.
The house which is built on the slope of a hill was brought down as a result of the heavy rains.
She said that the body of the deceased son is lying at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.
At Kibarani, the heavy floods affected both residents who were going on their daily duties, tourists and those who were going to catch up with morning flights at Moi International Airport and the 8 am Standard Gauge Railway.
George Kaburu who was travelling to Nairobi using the SGR said that he had to cancel his journey because of heavy traffic and the floods at Kibarani.
“When I left my house at 6:30 am I did not expect any eventualities along the way when I arrived at Kibarani, the road was impassable so I decided to alight the matatu and took a motorbike because the vehicles were not moving,” he said.
“By the time I was crossing the flooded area all my clothes were wet and to make matters worse the motorbike engine could not start. This discouraged me and decided to cancel my trip,” he said.
Kaburu called upon the county and national government to take urgent action to avoid future damages.
“This road is still new, I do not understand how construction was done because, during the sunny season, the road is always smooth and easy to use," he said.
Elizabeth Wayuwa said that she had to alight from a matatu due to heavy traffic and walked to her place of work in town.
“Today was a nightmare coming to work, I had to call the office and ask for permission to report late. I removed my shoes and walked to town. My call to the government is to look into the matter because people living on the West Coast suffer the most,” he said.
“We do not know when the heavy rains will stop because we cannot predict when to expect them and when not to expect them, we need urgent action."
Jomvu subcounty disaster management chairperson Bakari Ali said he already received reports that two houses in his area had been destroyed by the heavy rains.
"So far we have two cases in Jomvu—one is of a mother of three whose one child is disabled she is now homeless after the house was swept by the heavy rains," he said.
He said that they have done mapping on the areas which are likely to get affected and the county disaster management teams are on the ground to help families who will be affected.
In case the number rises, they will be taken to rescue centres which are schools and be provided with food and basic needs.
Image: Aura Ruth