Death toll from floods rises to 237

Residents of Bukhova village move to a camp at Nyambare Secondary School on May 10, 2020 after their homes were destroyed by floods. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • CS Wamalwa appeals to people living in flood-prone areas to relocate because more rains are expected in the months of May and June.

At least 237 people have lost their lives due to floods across the country, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said.

Giving and update on the effects of the ongoing floods, after making an aerial survey of Lake Naivasha Wednesday, Mr Wamalwa said many people have been displaced.

The CS appealed to people living in flood-prone areas to relocate because more rains are expected in the months of May and June.

“Several rives are swollen and likely to burst their banks, displacing those living in the edges,” Mr Wamalwa said.

He noted that water levels in Lake Naivasha have risen to unprecedented levels, affecting nearly 18,000 people who live in the sprawling Kihoto estate.

Mr Wamalwa said water levels in lakes across the country have significantly increased. He cited Lake Victoria whose water level, he said is at the highest to have recorded been since 1958.

The CS promised humanitarian assistance to the affected families and government support.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko, who accompanied Mr Wamalwa, regretted the encroachment of riparian land in Nakuru.

“We have also witnessed the destruction of the catchment areas that has led to the increase in water velocity, occasioning the current destruction,” he said.

He said a team that will include officials from his ministry will in the coming weeks deliberate on measures to be taken especially on encroachment of areas around the lake

On the table, according to the CS, will be long term solutions to the current crisis and measures to be taken on the flower players discharging effluent into the lake.