Monday, December 5, 2011

Floods, deaths and destruction countrywide



By STANDARD TEAM
Kenyans are counting millions of shillings worth of damage to crops, livestock, roads and bridges after torrential rains pounding various parts of the country left a trail of death and destruction, and left hundreds of families homeless.
While many farmers initially welcomed the rains as a blessing, the destructive force they unleashed over the past few weeks has left more pain than good.
Travellers stranded on both sides of the road wait for water levels to subside at Kawaraze Lagga where the Lowdar-Lokichoggio road has been cut off. [PHOTO: ANTONY GITONGA/STANDARD]
At least 10 people are feared dead and over 15,000 have been rendered homeless as heavy rains and landslides, paralysed transport and washed away crops in parts of the country leaving passengers stranded due to impassable roads, and farmers with nothing to harvest.
The deaths were reported in Samburu, Murang’a, Laikipia and West Pokot, where a man and his two children were buried alive in landslides.
Budalang’i constituency’s regular curse of floods returned in good measure after some 4,500 people in Bunyala District were displaced by flood waters when a grossly swollen River Nzoia burst its banks.
The southern dyke that was recently rehabilitated by National Water Irrigation Board caved in to the pressure raging waters and left villages flooded and residents displaced.
Southern dykes
Raging waters flooded Magombe, Khunambusi and Busagwa points on the southern dykes forcing hundreds of families to abandon their homes in search of safety.
Area residents told The Standard water started overflowing the two points on the Southern Dyke at around 7pm on Saturday adding that their efforts to raise the height of the dyke were in vain.
"This is the first time we have seen water overflowing the dyke with such intensity," said Fr Fredrick Ojilong, the presiding priest at Magombe Catholic Church.
In Samburu, three people — two men and a woman — drowned on Saturday as they attempted to cross the swollen River Lokal.
According to witnesses, the trio were attempting to cross the river, which burst its banks, but were washed away by the fast flowing waters. "We spent some time together waiting for the waters to subside, but they decided to cross," noted Mr James Lepuruk.
He said efforts to save them were futile as the waters were flowing fast.
Samburu Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Mr Morris Asila said his officers recovered the bodies with help from members of the public and took them to the Samburu District Hospital mortuary.
In Laikipia West district, the body of a middle-aged man was retrieved from the banks of the swollen river Chung’uti, Thome village on Friday.
Area OCPD Mr Francio Nyamatari said the unidentified man was believed to have drowned. However, he said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of the death.
In Murang’a North, a 12-year-old boy was on Saturday afternoon swept away in Murare by what is, on normal seasons, barely a stream as he tried to swim across. The body was retrieved hours later after a heavy downpour hampered rescue missions.
Meanwhile, transport along Rumuruti-Samburu road has been paralysed with most sections of the road rendered impassable due to the rains. Residents have been stranded after public service vehicle operators stayed away. Nominated MP Maison Leshomo pleaded with the Kenya National Highways Authority to urgently repair the road.
Escaped death
In Laikipia North, a Toyota station wagon of the Probox brand that was ferrying miraa (khat) to Doldol town was swept away by floods at Loisokut River on Friday. Ten passenters in the car also escaped death narrowly when raging waters dragged the vehicle for about 40 metres downstream.
Separately in Nanyuki town, scores of tenants were displaced from their homes after the Nanyuki River burst its banks. Among them are four children rescued by the officer in charge of the British Army team, Mr Andrew Wairagu.
Ms Patricia Muthoni, an official at Laikipia East Constituency office said the raging waters also destroyed a nearby house. "Tenants woke up at about 1.00am only to find their houses swamped," said Muthoni.
Tonnes of mud
In Murang’a County, a landslide blocked part of the Kangari-Kaharati road in Kigumo district. Tonnes of mud swept in by rains from nearby ridges in Karega lodged along the highway currently under construction, forcing motorists to use the longer Mareira-Kabati route to join the Nyeri-Nairobi highway.
In Kisumu, a Kenya Red Cross (KRC) report, released Sunday indicated that 450 families were affected by the heavy rains pounding the region, with some displaced.
"Following the rains, especially in the last four days, River Awach and River Sondu Miriu and Nzoia in Budalang’i burst the banks causing flooding in several villages across the region," states the report by KRC west Kenya region.
In Rachuonyo, 51 children under five years were among the affected people. The most affected places include West Nyakach, Rwambwa, Uholo, Nyadorera, Uhembo, Siginga and Thurdibuoro.
KRC said flooded latrines in Nyakach and Siaya have contaminated water sources, raising fears of cholera and diarrhea.
In most of the affected areas, farming is drastically affected. For instance, in Siaya, crops were destroyed after 400 acres of farmland were flooded.
Over 58 families in Nyando, and 25 in Siaya, received help with various items such as blankets, mosquito nets, bar soaps, water jerricans and water treatment chemicals.
Foodstuffs donated by the Government were also distributed.
KRC, Unicef and the Provincial Administration are conducting the assessment of the floods.
Sunday, an entire village with over 40 homes was submerged in water as floods continue causing havoc after River Nzoia burst its banks in Ugenya constituency.
Ugenya DC Caroline Onchoka said the situation was getting worse, since last week, when over 1,600 people were affected. Mrs Onchoka said the number has rose to nearly 2,000.

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