Rainstorm pounds city, leaves trail of deaths in its wake

Mrs Elizabeth Nyambura demonstrates how she blew the whistle to alert neighbours who later came to her rescue after her house in Ruai was flooded in the Tuesday night downpour. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI

What you need to know:

  • Elizabeth Nyambura, 90, has her neighbour Mr Meshack Kimondo to thank for saving her life. He led her to safety after water flooded her house.
  • Peter Mbugua of Ruai confirmed that he lost a friend whose name he gave as Mwaura to the flood waters. Another resident Mr Peter Nyaa too said his employee Mr Ndivo Munyao drowned in the flood waters.

The heavy rains that pounded parts of Nairobi on Tuesday night left three men dead and hundreds of homes flooded.

Another man has been reported missing with fears mounting that he may have been swept away by flood waters.

“We recovered the body of a male adult today in the morning. We have received information about another missing person,” Red Cross official Nicholas Thuo said yesterday.

Peter Mbugua of Ruai confirmed that he lost a friend whose name he gave as Mwaura to the flood waters. Another resident Mr Peter Nyaa too said his employee Mr Ndivo Munyao drowned in the flood waters.

Mr Nyaa told Daily Nation in Ruai that he tried to prevent the deceased from going home in the stormy weather but he was adamant and left. He never reached home.

“His wife called me around 11pm to ask me about his whereabouts. It was only in the morning when we confirmed that indeed he was washed away by the floods,” he said.

The most affected areas were Kamulu Area 26, Gituamba, Joska, Kingo’ri and Ruai Block 10 where the floods not only destroyed roads but also submerged farms.

Scores of houses were marooned and others had their roofs ripped off by strong winds during the storm. In some instances, the Red Cross and Nairobi Fire Brigade personnel had to evacuate families whose homes had been marooned.

“We rescued four people at mid-night but called off the operation until today in the morning because of the heavy rains and inaccessibility of the area,” said Mr Thuo.
Mr Ken Otieno of Kamulu Area 26 said the winds tore off the roof of a neighbour’s house and crashed it on his own, partially destroying it.

“We heard a bang outside and when we came out to check, found it was the roof of our neighbour’s house which the winds had thrown on top of our own,” said Mr Otieno.

Elizabeth Nyambura, 90, has her neighbour Mr Meshack Kimondo to thank for saving her life. He led her to safety after water flooded her house.