Residents flee after fissures damage houses in Nakuru estate
One of the affected houses in Kaptembwa, Nakuru County, on Wednesday after a gully formed and destroyed some houses, forcing residents to move to safer ground.
More than 140 people in Nakuru's Kaptembwa Estate spent Thursday night in the cold after landslides caused huge fissures that damaged their houses.
Dozens of tenants narrowly escaped death after their houses collapsed while they were inside, while others were partially destroyed.
Some temporary structures such as kiosks and food stalls were swept away by floods.
Ms Lucy Wambui, one of the tenants, said they were left homeless after floods swept away their belongings and left cracks in the wall.
Some of the displaced families in Kaptembwa, Nakuru County, next to their belongings after a gully formed near their home following heavy rains on Wednesday.
She told the Nation that after having lunch with her children at 3pm, she decided to go to sleep after the rains started, only to be woken up by the screams from her neighbour.
With no time to save her belongings, Ms Wambui said she grabbed her children and ran for safety.
"One of my neighbours woke me up shouting that we were sinking, I woke my children who were fast asleep and we all ran outside. I saw my furniture, electronics and other household items sinking, but luckily no one was injured," she said.
Ms Priscilla Ambia, who has lived in the area for ten years, said she had never seen such a disaster.
She said the raging waters that caused the destruction came from the Eveready area, using the existing drainage system. They lost valuable documents including birth certificates, identity cards and school books.
Residents linked the destruction to a nearby trench dug by the county government to drain water into the Ndarugu River, which overflowed.
"The walls started vibrating and water started seeping in from underneath. The walls collapsed due to the excess water that filled the houses. We were forced to seek refuge in a nearby church, but some of the salvaged items are outside and we are afraid that if it rains, everything will be destroyed," said Ms Ann Wanjiku, another tenant.
