Four bodies dug out of river bed as death toll from floods rises

Bodies of four people who drowned in River Enziu in Kitui County three weeks ago were on Tuesday finally recovered.

They were found trapped inside the Toyota Probox car which was buried 10 metres underneath the river bed.

Rescue teams drawn from the county government of Kitui, Kenya Red Cross, National Youth Service and Disaster Management Unit retrieved the bodies after excavating the river bed.

The rescuers had camped at the river since mid-last month but were not able to trace the bodies.

The victims, two women and two young men went missing on April 16, after their car was swept away by the swollen river. The bodies were positively identified by relatives of the deceased.

County Community Liaison Officer David Mbisi said the bodies were found about 100 metres downstream from a bridge the victims were using to get across. 

In Nakuru County, two people drowned in two separate incidents following a heavy downpour in the region.

SWEPT AWAY

In one incident, Mr Simon Kinyanjui, 30, was swept away while crossing River Subuk in Njoro Sub-County at night.

Njoro Police boss Charity Dorcas said Mr Kinyanjui slipped, fell into the river and drowned. He was reportedly on his way home from drinking with a friend

“The man is said to have been intoxicated and was cautioned not to cross the river but he did not listen,” said the police boss.

In another incident, the body of a man who drowned a fortnight ago at Kisulisuli estate in Nakuru town was recovered a few metres from the scene.

Nakuru OCPD Samuel Obara said the body was discovered in a trench.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has ordered the demolition of structures built along water ways in all towns in the county as his administration seeks to curb destruction by floods.

FLOODING

Mr Kinyanjui said the structures have contributed to flooding in Naivasha, Nakuru and Gilgil towns.

“Flooding in towns like Gilgil and Naivasha towns for instance was caused by construction of buildings on water ways.  The county is in the process of demolishing all those structures,” said Mr Kinyanjui in a statement.

And in Rongai, Kajiado County, residents held protests over the state of infrastructure in the area and bridges in the area blamed for the death of seven people in heavy rains last week.

The residents of Kajiado North Constituency marched from the infamous Kwekwe bridge to Fatuma South bridge which claimed five lives, four of them Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) workers on May 3.

In the meantime, Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) has warned of possible land-slides in central and parts of western Kenya as heavy rains continue.

PERSISTENT RAINS

The KMD director, Mr Peter Ambenje, said heavy rainfall will continue along the coast and the flooding situation may worsen in Lamu, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale and Tana River due to the persistent rains since last week.

And in Tana River, travellers have been barred from using a section of the Lamu-Garsen road following the heavy rains.

The road has been rendered impassable and dangerous after parts of it and bridges at Milihoi and Koreni caved in and were swept away by raging floods. 

Speaking during a tour of the road on Tuesday, Lamu County police commander Muchangi Kioi and County Deputy Commissioner Louis Rono ordered commuters to steer clear of the road until the floods subside and the section repaired. 

DANGEROUS

“The road is currently dangerous for commuters and has to be closed indefinitely,” Mr Kioi said. 

Police have also warned drivers against parking at the flooded Milihoi area to avoid being easy targets for Al-Shabaab terrorists. The area is a terror hotspot where tens of civilians and security and government officers have lost their live, among them former Public Works Principal Secretary Mariam El Maawy, whose convoy was attacked on July 13, 2017.

 Mr Kioi advised travellers to use the smaller Mpeketoni-Kizuke feeder road after which travellers can connect to their destinations by using boats up to Mokowe Jetty then into Lamu town. 

Meanwhile, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has come out to explain the role of the dams it uses for hydroelectric power generation along the Tana River in mitigating flooding downstream.

STORAGE

This follows heavy criticisms from a section of leaders in areas affected by flooding downstream of KenGen’s stations.

 The company said besides generating hydro-electric power, the Seven Forks Cascade dams which include Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and Kiambere have helped to regulate river levels and reduced flooding down-stream.

“We wish to inform Kenyans that we have been mitigating flooding through a water management plan for regulating the storage and discharges to ensure a healthy ecosystem and less flooding during heavy rains,” said KenGen managing director Rebecca Miano.

DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

Kenya Power said its distribution networks serving Lamu County have been affected by the rains. 

“Consequently, electricity supply to Gamba, Witu, Kipini, Mpeketoni, Hindi, Lapsset, Mokowe, Navy and Lamu Island has been lost in the last 24 hours.

“Our technical teams within Coast Region are working on various sites to restore supply,” the company said.

  Reports by Eric Matara, Magdalene Wanja, Kitavi Mutua and Kalume Kazungu