Narok floods leave 15 dead with property worth millions destroyed
Vehicles submerged in flood water in Narok Town. Fifteen people were confirmed dead April 29, 2015 after they were swept away by floods following heavy rains. There were fears that more bodies could be trapped under the debris of a collapsed building. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Heavy floods caused by heavy rains in Narok Town have so far claimed 15 lives, with traders left counting heavy losses amounting to millions of shillings.
According to Narok County security committee members, the toll was expected to rise as the rescue operations were going on.
County Commissioner Arthur Osiya on Wednesday said operations were going on along the Enkare-Narok River, with bulldozers removing debris in search of more bodies.
Mr Osiya, who was accompanied by the Narok County Police Commandant Abdi Galgalo, said all the bodies had been retrieved from under a bridge where they were trapped.
“The search is going on, but so far we have retrieved 15 bodies,” said Mr Osiya.
The Kenya Red Cross Society, the national Youth Service, and the Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) sent a team from Nairobi to support the group in Narok to conduct a search for more bodies.
Debris from a house that collapsed following the heavy rains was yet to be removed, with fears that there could be bodies trapped beneath it.
A car that was washed away by floods that hit Narok Town on April 28, 2015. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
VEHICLES SWEPT AWAY
More than 10 vehicles that were swept to the river by the raging waters on Tuesday evening were yet to be retrieved, with property worth millions of shillings destroyed.
Two police choppers were called in to help in the search mission downstream.
“We have recovered fifteen bodies so far, but we expect the number to rise because people say they cannot locate their kin and friends after the floods,” said Mr Osiya.
Another eight people were being treated at the Narok Referral Hospital, and a private hospital in the town.
On Tuesday evening, the gridlock along the busy road connecting Nairobi to western Kenya threw the town into a standstill, with many travellers stranded in Narok Town.
The heavy waters destroyed property worth close to Sh500 million, according to Narok Traders Association chairman David Sankok.
Many buildings were submerged in water with market stalls and kiosks being the worst hit.
The usually dusty Narok Town sits in a "bowl", making it susceptible to flooding.
Residents perch on top of buildings following heavy flooding in Narok Town. One building collapsed. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
SOLVE PERENNIAL PROBLEM
Narok Governor Samuel Tunai said officials were in the process of addressing the issue and a contract had been awarded to design and fix the perennial problem.
The governor said the town experiences flooding every rainy season because it is geographically located in a "bowl".
“The matter needs proper design. It needs a long-term plan to avert the crisis and that is what we are working on,” said Mr Tunai.
It is not the first time that the town is being affected by the floods.
"We are sitting on a time bomb and it is time all of us sat down and corrected the situation because every time the floods hit the town, lives and property are lost," Mr Tunai said.
Experts blame poor drainage for the mess. Most of the water that washes through the town comes from the hills in the area.
Property worth millions was destroyed by flash floods that hit Narok Town on Tuesday. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
BUILD DRAINAGE SYSTEM
In 2014, the county government entered into a Sh577 million contract with a Chinese construction company to build a drainage system in Narok Town.
But Narok Senator Stephen ole Ntutu, Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta and his Narok West counterpart Patrick Ntutu said little had been done to control the perennial floods that have hit the town for more than 10 years now.
Senator Ntutu said it was time proper planning of the town was done, and buildings erected along drainage systems should be demolished to give way to the flood water and safe lives.
In 2014 some Maasai leaders opposed plans by the Narok County government to relocate the county headquarters to a holding ground at Limanet.
Led by Maasai Council of Elders National Coordinator Hassan ole Kamwaro and Mr Kenta, the leaders said the move was illegal and unconstitutional.
“We are opposing the intended plan because they have not consulted the community on the matter. The 600-acre piece of land is owned by the Maasai community,” Mr Kamwaro said.
The intention of the county government was to decongest the town in an effort to avert disaster and create a manageable drainage system.
