Residents of a section of the vast Kiamunyi area of Menengai West ward in Nakuru county are counting losses after floods destroyed their homes and properties.
Several families spent Saturday night in the cold while others sought refuge from their neighbours following the downpour that started at about 5.30pm on Saturday evening.
Carol Kwamboka, whose home is among those that bore the brunt of the flash floods, said she was away with her child when she was informed that storm water had swept everything in her house.
"Everything was washed away including beds, clothes, seats and other household items, I slept at a neighbour's house and I do not know where my family will spend the night," she said.
Kwamboka appealed to well-wishers to help her with clothes, bedding utensils and food items.
Another resident, Samuel Ombati, appealed to the government to intervene and help the residents, especially women and children, with humanitarian aid.
He feared that there could be water-borne diseases in the area following the floods. He called for the temporary relocation of families until the long rains are over.
Jackson Gatu, who lives in the same area, said he did not save anything from his house because the floods came abruptly.
He added that his wife and children risked being washed away but they were saved by neighbours.
Menengai West MCA Isaak Rottok confirmed the incident, saying that the flash floods washed away homes and displaced several families in many areas, especially Eden estate, which is in a valley.
Flooding started at a big farm upstream, next to Menengai Forest, and the storm water flashed downwards sweeping everything on its way.
He said one family escaped death by a whisker because the members were not in the house when the flash floods that broke down sections of the walls struck.
Rottok said that the affected families need humanitarian aid and promised that Nakuru government, through the County Disaster Management Unit, would tour the area and assess the damage.
"I have talked to Governor Susan Kihika and she has promised that the affected families will be helped to reconstruct their lives," he said.
Rottok said that although the area's terrain is poor, the situation of a nearby access road could have compounded the situation.
"The county government will buy an open land next to the most affected homes in order to join the said road with the main drainage."
