Storms leave a trail of damage

• Man feared dead after being swept away as he tried to cross bridge on way home

Heavy rains that fell in Kajiado District at the weekend left a trail of destruction in Kitengela.

Scores of houses were submerged in water, perimeter walls brought down and residents estimated the damage at millions of shillings.

Residents and Provincial administration officials battled throughout the night to rescue scores of people trapped in their houses in New Valley Estate.
One person was feared dead.

The victim, residents said, was swept away as he tried to cross a bridge to his house from a bar.

Area district commissioner Mwangi Kahiro, who went to assess the damage caused by the rains, could not confirm the death.

“We have received the report of the dead person from the residents but I cannot confirm it since we have not seen the body,” he said.

The rains swept away a bridge, cutting off more than 200 Kitengela families from Nairobi and other urban centres.

Seven other families were displaced when their houses, including a four- storey building, were immersed in the floods.

Mr Kahiro advised tenants to leave, saying the building was a disaster in waiting since it was erected along a seasonal river.

“Waters of this seasonal river came running all the way from Ngong. They (the waters) were blocked by the building, which caused the flooding,” the DC said.

Mr Kahiro had sent a team of Administration Police offices, led by Isinya district officer Husein Alisow, to evacuate the affected families at 1am when they called his office.

“They had to rescue some of the people, especially children,” he said.

The owner of the four-storey building, Mrs Josphine Tom, said she was unaware that the structure is constructed along a watercourse.

“My husband bought the plot in 2004. The area is very dry and we have never had such heavy rains like yesterday (Saturday night),” Mrs Tom said.

A local community leader, Rev Amos Mbuthia, said the displaced people had to be accommodated by their neighbours.

To stay away

“They have lost a lot of property like beddings and utensils, which were swept away by the floods,” he said.

Mr Mbuthia expressed fear that if the bridge, which was constructed by the locals, is not repaired urgently, people may not be able to go to work today.