Heavy rains claim 3 lives at Coast, homes submerged
Mombasa Water offices in Changamwe, Mombasa, flooded by rainwater on May 9, 2017. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A man and his four-year-old daughter died in Maporomokoni, Mikindani, following a landslide on Monday night.
- Kisauni police boss Christopher Rotich said the body of an unidentified man was found at Vescon Estate in Bamburi on Tuesday morning.
- 87 pupils at Swabur Children’s Home in Mwandoni, Kisauni, were rescued and taken to another orphanage after their home was marooned.
- More than 100 Bombolulu residents are counting their losses after their houses were marooned.
Three more people died on Tuesday after heavy rains pounded Coast region, destroying houses and infrastructure.
The deaths occurred as President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho condoled the families of six people who died when a perimeter wall fell on a house in Kizingo.
A man and his four-year-old daughter died in Maporomokoni, Mikindani, following a landslide on Monday night.
“A woman was rescued from the house and taken to Mikindani Health Centre. She is currently at the intensive care unit,” said Changamwe police boss Peter Omanwa.
Kisauni police boss Christopher Rotich said the body of an unidentified man was found at Vescon Estate in Bamburi on Tuesday morning. “It was taken to Coast General Hospital Mortuary,” said Mr Rotich.
CHILDREN RESCUED
On Tuesday, 87 pupils at Swabur Children’s Home in Mwandoni, Kisauni, were rescued and taken to another orphanage after their home was marooned.
Foodstuff, including more than 20 bags of rice, beans, maize and wheat flour, as well as clothes and two fridges, were destroyed.
“We were sleeping when the rains pounded the region, only to find our home marooned in the morning. We thought we were in a river. The children, who are between four and 16 years old, were crying for help,” said home proprietor Zahara Mwalimu.
Aisha Emoni (left) ponders her next course of action after her house was flooded by rainwater in Bombolulu estate in Mombasa on May 9, 2017. She said she lost property worth Sh1.2 million. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
More than 100 Bombolulu residents are counting their losses after their houses were marooned.
Marere Bridge in Marere on Lunga-Lunga Road, Kwale, was destroyed by the rains on Tuesday, disrupting transport.
HIGHWAY SUBMERGED
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) said Ramisi and Perani bridges on the Lunga-Lunga Highway were also submerged by floods.
“Kanana Culvert and the two bridges are covered by floods following heavy downpour in Shimba Hills. High tide from the Indian Ocean is making it difficult for water to drain from Kwale and its environs,” KeNHA said.
The authority asked motorists to use alternative routes, including the Lunga Lunga-Kinango-Mariakani-Mombasa road or the Lunga Lunga-Mrima-Mwabungo-Ukunda-Kwale road.
Motorists could also use the Ukunda-Kwale road. “A team of engineers from KeNHA are on the ground monitoring the situation. We will install a bailey bridge at Marere once the water subsides,” added the statement.
VEHICLES DIVERTED
Heavy commercial vehicles plying Mombasa-Kilifi road were diverted on Tuesday after Mbogolo Bridge was partly damaged.
A woman fainted in the morning at Likoni Channel, Mombasa, after services were disrupted for hours.
She collapsed aboard Mv Kwale after spending hours at the waiting bay.
Motorists and pedestrians wade through a flooded section of the road leading to Bombolulu Estate in Mombasa County after heavy rains pounded the Coastal city on May 9, 2017. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
She was rescued by Kenya Ferry Services workers and Kenya Red Cross Society officials.
This happened as thousands of commuters were stranded when two ferries, Mv Nyayo, one of the biggest, and Mv Harambee, were withdrawn because of heavy currents caused by water from nearby rivers.
Mr Joho directed county engineers to flatten walls constructed on waterways that could be causing the flooding.
ORDERED IMMEDIATE DEMOLITION
He ordered the immediate demolition of National Youth Service’s and Hakika Transport Services’ perimeter walls in Miritini, saying they were responsible for flooding in the area.
He accused the National Land Commission of frustrating his administration’s bid to deal with cases of land grabbing, and frustrating plans to bring down hundreds of illegal structures.
In Taita Taveta, the Kenya Red Cross warned of a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases due to floods.
Taveta Red Cross coordinator Joram Oranga urged residents of Kimorigo, Bahati, Mata, Jipe, Kimala and Bura Ndogo to boil water for domestic use to avoid infections.
More than 5,400 people in 900 households have been affected by the floods.
COUNTING LOSSES
In Kilifi, a number of schools and homesteads are counting losses caused by the floods.
Ganze Deputy County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said five makuti-thatched huts were blown off.
There was near disaster at Mwenge Primary School after a mud-walled classroom fell while pupils were in class.
Mr Mwabudzo said more than 100 families were affected by the floods. Thousands of travellers were stranded at Maji ya Chumvi on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway following a massive traffic jam stretching more than 20km.
Reports by Mohamed Ahmed, Winnie Atieno, Galgalo Bocha, Kazungu Samuel and Daniel Nyassy
