• Disaster Management chief officer Ann Njenga said at least 20 private schools in Kihoto estate had been forced to close down due to the flooding.
• “The closure of the private schools have caused another crisis as there is only one public school in this estate."
More than 20 early childhood education and development centres in Kihoto estate have been closed down after they were flooded by rising waters of Lake Naivasha.
About 1,000 children have been left without classes, with some relocated to public schools in the estate. Nearly 15,000 people have been displaced by the swelling lake.
Disaster Management chief officer Ann Njenga said at least 20 private schools in Kihoto estate had been forced to close down due to the flooding.
“The closure of the private schools have caused another crisis as there is only one public school in this estate and we are working with the Ministry of Education to address this,” she said.
She termed the situation in the estate as critical, adding that the county was keen to relocate and resettle genuine landlords.
“Water levels in the lake have continued to rise, displacing more families, flooding schools and latrines and putting the lives of area residents in danger,” she said.
Speaking after distributing relief food to the affected families, she said that the department was working closely with the public health officials to contain disease outbreak.
“The county is committed to assisting those affected by the floods and soon the governor will be rolling out a project to resettle affected landlords,” she said.
Resident Zachariah Kamau said that the most affected landlords were retired government officers who had used their savings to construct rental houses in the estate.
He noted that the majority were now homeless and without a source of income while others who had loans could not service them due to the flooding crisis.
Dickson Kimani said that many of the families could not afford to pay rent or get school fees for their children.
“Many of the parents lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic and apart from flooding wildlife have invaded this estate putting our lives in great danger,” he said.
(edited by o. owino)