Govt Spokesman Mwaura » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 26 -The government has announced that 70 people have lost their lives following the heavy rains which have wreaked havoc across the country.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is expected to give a comprehensive update on the crisis caused by impounding rains following a meeting with the National Emergency Response Committee & development partners.
“Contrary to other figures, the official tally of fellow Kenyans who regrettably have lost their lives due to the flooding situation now stands at 70 lives,” government spokesman Mwaura stated.
The country started experiencing rains in mid-March, but in the past few days the rains have increased in intensity.
President William Ruto convened an emergency multi-agency meeting on Thursday to respond to the crisis after torrential rains triggered floods that caused chaos across the city, blocking roads and bridges and engulfing homes.
Citizens have been warned to stay on alert, with the forecast for more heavy rains across the country, even as the President said the people living in the most vulnerable areas would be relocated to National Youth Service Land.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said that at least 38 people have been killed by floods across Kenya, noting that the flood situation is moving from emergency to disaster level.
Since the onset of the March-April-May rains, multiple counties have felt the effects, resulting in affected households, displacements, the establishment of displacement camps, submerged arable land, impacted businesses, and livestock deaths, the humanitarian agency said.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, the heavy rains have affected at least 23 counties across the country and left more than 110,000 people homeless.
On Wednesday, at least one person was killed and six people were missing in the Mathare slums on following an overnight downpour.
Residents of this informal settlement, mostly low-income earners, found themselves stranded in their homes due to severe flooding.
In other parts of Nairobi, residents also woke up to flooded homes and businesses, impassable roads, and downed trees after a night of heavy rains.
Some areas were cut off from the city due to stormwater flooding the streets. The main bridge in Kitengela, a neighborhood south of the capital, was flooded by the Athi River, stranding thousands of businessmen and office workers.
About The Author
