- Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili told reporters at Sultan Hamud subcounty Hospital rescuers had rescued 14 people and recovered eight bodies.
- Officials said the victims were among an unknown number of people who jumped onto a truck attempting to cross the swollen Kwa Muswii along the Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road.
Image: VERONICA NTHAKYO
The death toll from Friday's drowning incident along the Kwa Muswii River that cuts through the Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road in Makueni County has risen to nine, on Saturday.
This is after residents pulled more bodies from the water.
Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili told reporters at Sultan Hamud subcounty Hospital rescuers had rescued 14 people and recovered eight bodies.
Another body was later recovered in the same area. She said there are about 10 people reported missing.
Mulili said the Red Cross and Makueni County disaster management officials had shifted rescue operations to other rivers feeding into Kwa Muswii as part of efforts to get those missing.
She called on communities downstream to report any bodies they see floating in the rivers.
Officials said the victims were among an unknown number of people who jumped onto a truck attempting to cross the swollen Kwa Muswii along the Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road.
Witnesses said they had been waiting for hours for the water to recede and had become impatient.
The lorry was carrying building materials to Kasikeu Township when the incident happened. Witnesses said the driver asked people to jump on board to make the vehicle heavier so that it could manoeuvre easily through the raging waters.
Kenya Red Cross team and other responders said 14 people were rescued from the water. The 14 were part of a group of people who were inside the lorry when the tragedy happened on Friday afternoon.
“In Sultan Hamud, Makueni county, a distressing incident has occurred: a lorry ferrying people was swept away by raging waters. We are at the scene and actively responding to the situation,” Red Cross said.
The incident came as the government declared 70 people dead and thousands displaced following the ongoing heavy rainfall across the country. This increased to more than 80, the number of those so far killed in the incidents given other deaths were reported elsewhere on Friday following heavy rains.
The government has scaled up measures to mitigate disaster caused by the ongoing enhanced rains and floods, even as the meteorological department warned that heavy rainfall will continue through to the weekend.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday said the government has made several interventions such as financial allocation of Sh4 billion for immediate response to the rain's havoc.
He said since the onset of the current heavy rainfall, 75 people had by Friday lost their lives, 22 were injured and eight people are missing.
He added that 131,179 people have been affected by the rains and that contingency plans have been developed to enhance the coordination of the emergency response.
He further asked Kenyans to stop daring nature and be responsible during the rainy season.
“We appeal to Kenyans to be responsible for their own lives and safety. Do not dare nature. In some instances, we have seen people being adventurous and daring to cross swollen rivers. We urge Kenyans to exercise caution and be responsible for their own lives. They must know they carry the aspirations of their families,” he said.
To those living in areas prone to landslides and near the Kiambere Water Dam, Gachagua asked them to relocate to safer grounds.
Other interventions, he said, include resettlement of displaced families, restoration of bridges washed away by the raging waters, repair of critical infrastructure, activation of the National Disaster Response Centre and distribution of food, non-food and pharmaceutical items to the affected families.
“We are in discussions with the National Treasury and we are trying to put up Sh4 billion as an emergency fund. The National Youth Service will be facilitated to resettle the displaced families, unblock drains and waterways and handle the spilling dams. The National Disaster Response Centre will be 24 hours open to monitor the situation in the country,” said Gachagua.
Speaking during a meeting on review of emergency response actions relating to the ongoing flood situation in Kenya at his official residence in Karen, Gachagua also asked county governments to realign their budgets to mitigate the effects of ongoing rains.