• Seven killed at the weekend as heavy rains bring down a building, flood homes and wash away bridges

“We could not go anywhere because it was dark and we had to spend the night standing up, not knowing whether our houses would still be there in the morning,” she said.

In Mogotio, there was shock and panic after the remains of dead people from a local public cemetery were swept into Molo River by raging floods.

Body parts were retrieved from the river last week following heavy rains. Five people recently drowned in the area. The cemetery is near the banks of a stream at Katorongot.

The residents said they feared an outbreak disease since Molo River is the main source of water for hundreds of people in the area.

On Sunday, Ms Christine Ndoigo, an official of the Rift Valley Water Services Board called for urgent action saying the incident had traumatised residents.

It was so bad

She was part of a government team led by area DC Julius Ngumo that went to assess the situation.

“I saw it with my own eyes, it was so bad …the cemetery is just metres away from the river,” she said.

In Rachuonyo, more than 15 homes are under water and 70 people displaced by flooding over the past six days.

The Meteorological Department has said the heavy rains are likely to continue for the next two weeks.

—Reports by Sammy Cheboi, Muchemi Wachira, Peter Ng’etich, Jonathan Manyindo, Eric Wainaina and Otieno Owida