Humanitarian body Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) has once again appealed to Kenyans to be on high alert and adhere to all safety directives from the government to avert disasters as heavy rains continue pounding various parts of the country.
KRCS says the rains are yet to reach peak, and to prevent disasters, Kenyans should not ignore any directive of moving to safer grounds.
KRCS Secretary General Dr Idris Ahmed says the Tana, Western and Nzoia basins are experiencing an increase in water levels thus the need for locals in those areas to take precautions to avert calamities.
“We are anticipating spilling of dams like the Seven Folks dam, increase of water levels in Tana River and the Nzoia basins and these have already resulted into displacement of many families,” said Dr Idris in an interview at Standard owned radio station, Spice FM.
Kenya Red Cross Society is working on humanitarian aid of more than 30,000 households, who may be displaced by the heavy rains.
“We are not yet at that figure but we are anticipating such humanitarian need because the rains are not at the peak yet. We are working on that figure as we prepare on humanitarian aid since the rains are still pounding heavily and we have already seen houses being submerged in waters. We are not taking chances in saving lives,” he added.
The situation
According to government reports, the heavy rainfall continues to affect Northern, Central and Eastern Kenya since the beginning of the long rainy season (March to May), causing rivers overflow (in particular the Tana River), floods, flash floods and triggering landslides that have resulted in more casualties and widespread damage. The most affected Counties are; Marsabit, Turkana, Tana River, Garissa, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu, Meru, Kisumu, Nairobi and Kitui.
As of 11 April, 13 fatalities had been reported, approximately 15,000 people displaced, and around 20,000 people were affected across the aforementioned counties.
The Nairobi County is the worst affected with 11 fatalities and around 9,000 displaced people. In addition, several roads including the Wajir-Garissa-Tana River road was closed after 51 passengers were swept by floods, all passengers were later rescued.
Ignorance
“Don’t take risks with the waters. Most of the people who are dying or getting injured are not taking personal precautions or safety measures. Our request to the public is to be more careful,” said Dr Ahmed.
Following the effects of the heavy rains experienced in Kirinyaga County, 323 households in Thiba, Mwea West Sub County were adversely affected.
KRCS managed to register and support the affected families with essential items such as mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and soap.
On Friday, 150 families were displaced by floods in Karachuonyo, Homa Bay county as floods submerged homes displacing families. Villages were flooded after River Tende broke banks.
Over 600 families were also displaced by floods in Budalangi, Busia County.
[KRCS Secretary General Dr Idris Ahmed. He has appealed to Kenyans to follow safety guidelines to avert disasters as heavy rains pounds the county. Photo/KRCS/April, 12, 24].
“The central part of Kenya is receiving very heavy rains and this is our huge concern. We may also experience poor visibility on the roads, which has already caused deaths, as reported recently. So each one of us should be extra vigilant to avert disasters,” he added.
Dr Ahmed added that the humanitarian body is also working towards changing Kenyans attitude, whom he said are showing some ‘high appetite for risks’.
“We are working on changing Kenyan’s attitude by clearly telling them that moving from high risk areas to lower risk areas will help save lives. We know that their lives will not be as normal in the new areas but we should not sit and wait for calamities. Indeed there is nothing we can do about the weather but we can act to save lives,” noted Dr Idris.
