• The weatherman has asked residents of some sections of Rift Valley, Central, Western and coastal regions to be on the lookout for potential floods.
• Heavy rains, large waves and strong winds off shower may result in a storm surge along the coast.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
The government has mapped out eight counties that are in the danger of floods as the weatherman warns of heavy rains in this week.
In a statement to newsrooms, the Ministry of Interior said residents of Murang’a, Taita Taveta, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Garissa, Tana River, Kitui, and Kisumu should be extra cautious.
The statement also advises families in Tana River and Garissa to relocate to higher grounds because Masinga, Kindaruma and Kiambere dams might burst their banks and flood their homes by Tuesday.
The three hold large amounts of water could overflow in the next two days and could cause havoc to property and life.
Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, has intimated that Regional Commissioners and County Commissioners are leading a multi-agency drive to move people vulnerable to these hazards to safer grounds in time.
Speaking at the Kenya Meteorological Department Headquarters in Nairobi, Matiang’i called upon Kenyans to heed the government’s advisories and evacuation warnings and steer clear of impending hazards due to heavy rainfall lashing in various parts of the country.
"We’re putting our heads together and organizing ourselves to deal with a clearly impending challenge. We are working jointly to see how we can effectively support the Kenyans camping in schools and other facilities to avoid the negative consequences of the rains," he said.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has issued an advisory stating that the heavy rainfall being experienced in the country will continue for the better part of this week.
The statement from the department's weather forecast for the next five days shows that many parts will receive heavy rains.
Nairobi, Western, Northeastern and the Coastal region have recorded at least 30mm of rain in the last 24 hours and this is expected to continue throughout the week.
The intensity of the rain in Nairobi and the Western region will reach 40mm on Thursday and Saturday.
The weatherman has asked residents of some sections of Rift Valley, Central, Western and coastal regions to be on the lookout for potential floods.
Heavy rains, large waves and strong winds off shower may result in a storm surge along the coast.
“The three are already full to the capacity and there is a spill already. The people should move to higher ground because the flooding is coming,” Energy CS Charles Keter said.
According to Devolution and ASALs CS Eugene Wamalwa, the national government has already responded and sent food and non-food essentials to the affected persons.
“The national government will continue providing the necessary support to our citizens across the country,” he said and asked the County Governments as the first line of defence to set aside enough resources in the emergency fund to realign their budgets to address such disasters.
Several parts of the country have been receiving heavy rains, with floods being witnessed in Trans Nzoia and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
The havoc led to the death of more than seven people and left 25 with injuries after floods and mudslides hit Chesogon along the West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet border on Saturday night.
Robert Katina from the Red Cross said more people might have died as many were still missing in affected villages.
Chesogon police post was among installations swept away by the floods.
Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya was appointed by the government to lead the first responders' team to search the 28 people who are missing since the incident occurred.
Five police officers and two locals have already been airlifted to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for specialized treatment.