Four drown after heavy rains

Four people drowned on Monday as torrential rains continued to pound countrywide.

At the same time, an eight-month-old baby died after the family house was buried in a mass of soil during a land slide in Mukurwe-ini District.

Children in the flood-hit areas failed to report to school as some were said to have fallen ill while in other cases the schools were not accessible.

Ngong’ River

In Nairobi, Makadara district commissioner, Suleiman Chege said 25-year-old David Bodosho died as he was rescuing 11-year-old Kiarie Omondi in Ngong River.

The two were residents of Mukuru slum in Industrial Area.

Mr Chege added that a driver in a saloon car died after suspected heart attack while in a traffic jam at Jogoo Road amid a heavy downpour.

In Meru, a woman drowned in River Kathita in Kootho Village. Rebecca Karimi, 95, was swept away after she left her house unnoticed.

Her son-in-law, 60-year-old John Kithia said the elderly woman ate supper before she left the house.

A search party retrieved her body at the weekend floating on the river.

In Mukurueini, the eight-month-old baby died after the family house was buried by a mass of soil during a land slide.

Three other members of the family escaped with injuries, but a four-year-old boy escaped unhurt.

The family members were pulled from underneath the crumbled house, and were taken to Mukurwe-ini District Hospital, where eight month old Antony Kamau died.

Following 10 hours of heavy downpour, more than 13 families at Thangathi, Gikondi and Thanu locations were ordered to move to safer grounds to avert further disaster.

In Homa Bay, leaders were challenged to convene an meeting to address disaster brought about by torrential rains.

The rains have destroyed roads, bridges, farms, school buildings and exposure villagers to water-borne diseases.

In Nyanza, hundreds of families displaced by the raging floods have been forced to move out of schools after schools reopened on Monday for the Second Term.

In Nyando, Kisumu County several schools have been acting as evacuation sites for flood victims who have been rendered homeless as floods continue to cause destruction.

And Nominated MP Maria Leshoomo on Monday called on the government to repair the Maralal-Nyahururu road.

Travellers to Maralal from Nyahururu continued to Sh1,000 from the usual Sh400.

In Narok, wheat farmers are expressing fear of losses as soils have remained waterlogged slowing down sprouting of the crop they planted last month.

Reported by Kennedy Kimanthi, James Kariuki, Brian Yonga, Sammy Kimatu, Otieno Owida and John Njagi