Over 80,000 households affected by El-Nino rains

The government yesterday told Kenyans to be on high alert saying at least 80,000 households across the country were reported to have either been displaced or marooned by floods resulting from the ongoing El-Nino rains by Saturday, according to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said.

 With the number of households negatively affected by the situation projected to rise daily, Gachagua further noted amidst enhanced rains over the last few days the number of counties experiencing El Nino has risen from 19 to 33 over the past week, with others being on high alert.

  In a statement, the Deputy President stated so far, some of the worst affected counties include Mombasa, Garissa, Tana River, Makueni, Marsabit, Kilifi, Kwale, Meru, Isiolo, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir, Homa Bay, Busia, among others.

  “This situation has continued to threaten lives. I wish to take this opportunity to inform the Nation that multi-agency teams- drawn from Government Agencies, County Governments and partners- are responding in various ways to mitigate the negative impact of the El Nino to save our people,” Gachagua noted adding cases of fatalities and missing persons have been reported.

 He said the government has put in place key interventions to mitigate loss of lives but further called on “counties to allocate and release funds to complement mitigation efforts of the National Government and our partners.”

 To address trails of destruction in affected areas, the DP assured that funds have been allocated for repair of destroyed infrastructure to improve ground response.

 While emphasising the need for Counties to unclog water ways and other drainage systems in their respective urban areas, the second in command further urged partners to enhance their financial, technical and logistical support in reducing and mitigating the impact of the El-Nino.

Currently, he said Government helicopters are on joint rescue missions of marooned families, distribution of humanitarian aid- foods and non-food items, medical supplies, among others.

 “We are constantly sharing information between and among our partners for strategic interventions,” Gachagua said, noting the government has intensified surveillance on human and zoonotic diseases to avoid possible outbreaks like cholera and other hygiene-related infections.

He pointed out that predictions point to prolonged rains extending into December and into the first quarter of 2024.

 Ten people have been killed in torrential rains that have been pounding Mombasa, Tana River, Kwale and Kilifi since last week.

The announcement was made by Coast Regional Commissioner Rhodah Onyancha who further revealed that over 10,000 households have been affected.

Affected counties

She however stated that government efforts are underway to take care of those affected.

“So far, one person has died in Mombasa, three in Kwale, three in Kilifi, and two in Tana River,” said the Coast Regional Coordinator.

 Several homes in parts of Mombasa were yesterday destroyed following flooding in the coastal city triggered by ongoing rains in the region.

The most affected counties by the floods are Tana River and Mombasa, where several households have been displaced.

Over 5,000 families have since evacuated in Tana River after the river burst its banks forcing the residents to move to higher grounds.