At least 70 schools fail to re-open in flood-hit Tana River

Coast Regional Police Commander Noah Mwivanda (centre) says the government has enlisted the services of Interpol in search drug dealers who fled the country last week. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Schools across the country reopened on Monday but only few students reported in areas hit by floods.

  • Twenty two schools in Bura Sub County have flooded with most classrooms on the verge of collapsing.

  • At least 7, 000 residents in Lamu and Tana River counties are in danger after failing to move to safety.

At least 70 schools in Tana River County are yet to reopen for the second term due to flooding.

Coast Regional Police Commander Noah Mwivanda on Wednesday said 16 of the 70 learning institutions are secondary schools.

TANA DELTA

The County Steering Group report showed that Tana Delta has been worst hit, with 34 schools inaccessible while seven have been washed away.

Twenty two schools in Bura Sub County have flooded, with most classrooms on the verge of collapsing, while six schools have lost their administration blocks.

Fourteen schools in Galole Constituency have suffered the same fate, where Mau Mau Memorial Girls Secondary School, a sub county institution with more than 600 students, has been affected. 

Ten solar panels in Amani Primary School were blown away by strong winds while in other learning facilities, dormitories and food stores have been submerged by the floods. 

“All these schools have not opened because of the floods. But we have already launched a multi-agency approach to have stakeholders create awareness for the affected people as we move to address the crisis,” said Mr Mwivanda while addressing journalists at the regional police headquarters in Mombasa.

VILLAGES

The floods have also displaced 64,000 people in the county, with Tana Delta being the most affected, with most villages submerged.

Mr Mwivanda said Galilii and Kilelengwani villages are among those under water.

“We have had cases of children being swept away by the floods, but we are yet to get the exact figures. My advice to parents is that they should ensure they accompany their children to school,” said Mr Mwivanda.

At least 7, 000 residents in Lamu and Tana River counties are in danger after failing to move to safety.

“Mitigation programmes are ongoing. We understand some of those people have defied [orders] to move because they lack information… We have moved in to ensure all goes well,” he added.