4 people killed as Voi River bursts its banks

Four people have been killed and several others reported missing after the Voi River in Taita Taveta County burst its banks on Monday morning.

In a statement, Kenya Red Cross said rescue efforts are underway after the river broke its banks causing flood in villages within Voi Town.

“The Kenya Red Cross is on-site, conducting search and rescue operations for families marooned by the rising waters,” Kenya Red Cross said.

The incident comes as El Nino rains continue to pound the coastal region and several parts of the country.

As of Friday, December 1, the raging floods had killed at least 136 people and displaced 92,432 households, comprising 462,160 persons.

In a statement, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, however, noted that a decrease in rainfall is anticipated across most parts of the country with sunny and dry conditions prevailing over the Northern half of the country.

The PS said occasional rainfall is expected to continue over the Southern pans of the country including the counties of Narok, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu, parts of Kajiado, Taita Taveta, Kwale and Makueni.

To mitigate the effects of the floods, PS Omollo said the ongoing food distribution programme will continue across the affected counties.

“10 Tonnes of assorted food items have been airlifted to Wajir this morning. KDF has also airdropped food items at Chebaso in Isiolo County,” Omollo said.

The PS further noted that Kutulo-Elwak Road which was destroyed by the heavy floods has been repaired and is open for traffic.

“This (repair) has allowed the 36 truck-convoy carrying various commodities including food and diesel that was stuck at Tullow to now reach its destination. Other roads affected shall be repaired once the waters subside,” the statement adds.

Further, the government announced more rescue and medical interventions including the deployment of boats from Mombasa to Garissa to assist in the ongoing efforts.

“The diarrhoea cases reported in Lamu, Garissa, Kwale, Mandera and Wajir are being managed,” he added.

“The Cholera kits donated to the State Department of Public Health by the World Health Organization (WHO) are being dispatched from the WHO regional hub to the Kenya Red Cross warehouse for last-mile distribution to 17 counties.

“Mosquito nets will also be distributed to Isiolo County on Saturday and other areas will follow suit.”