Counties

Floods kill 11 people, 4 family members buried in mudslide

April 10, 2024

Following floods in nine counties, eleven people died and thousands were left homeless.

This comes as four family members died in Torokiat village, Narok County, after being buried in a mudslide on Monday night, while various roads and water infrastructure in the county were also swept away by raging waters.

The National Disaster Operation Centre has advised residents in low-lying areas of Tana River, Garissa, and Lamu counties to evacuate immediately as water levels at the Seven Forks Dam rise rapidly, with an imminent spill expected in the coming days.

On Monday night, a bus carrying 51 people was swept into Lager Areli along the Garissa-Nairobi highway.

Bangale OCPD Ephraim Karani confirmed the incident, saying the bus driver ignored other motorists’ warnings not to use the flooded road.

A multi-agency team was called in to rescue all occupants in an operation that lasted nearly 8 hours.

Drivers have, however, called for a quick upgrade of the road’s drainage systems to avoid the perennial flooding that cripples transport services.

“Garissa saa hii ata Hola tunategemea hii barabara na sasa imekatika kabisa hapa na mahali inaitwa Tula…sasa tunaomba seriklai itusaidie na kujenga hii barabara,” a passenger, John Mburu said.

“Hapa barabara naona imekatika na sijui tutapata usaidizi wapi tukisema turudi na barabara ya Mombasa ni mbali ambapo ata hii mzigo tumebeba haitaweza kulipa,” the driver, Newton Azenga, added.

According to the Kenya Red Cross, 11 people have died, and 1,919 households have been displaced as a result of the floods in various counties.

Several roads in the country’s northeast and east have also been cut off, resulting in 40 livestock deaths in Turkana County.

Nairobi, Turkana, Busia, Marsabit, Tana River, and Taita Taveta counties were all affected by the floods.

In Narok County, a family of four died after being buried in their home after a mudslide at Torokiat village on Monday evening.

Hundreds of other residents from Kisumu and Kirinyaga counties were also displaced, and the raging waters destroyed property of unknown value.

This comes as the National Disaster Control Centre issues a flood alert for Tana River, Garissa, and Lamu counties.

In a memo to the three county commissioners, the unit warned of an impending spill over of the Seven Forks Dam due to increased rainfall across Mt. Kenya, the Aberdares, and the Nyambene hills over the last few days.

Residents in the dam’s low-lying areas were advised to evacuate immediately to higher ground to avoid loss of life and property.