164 Dead As Floods Continue To Sweep Across 29 Counties

Floods have killed at least 164 people in Kenya in the last two weeks according to Eugine Wamalwa, the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution.

Speaking in Budalangi, while distributing relief food as well as other amenities to those affected by floods, Wamalwa said that the government is aware of the magnitude of floods in the country in the past few weeks.

Interestingly, the news about the floods has not gained any newsworthy prominence on screens as all the attention has been directed to the fight against Covid-19.

Leaders from the affected counties are calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to announce floods as a national disaster given that they have killed more people in Kenya in two weeks than Covid-19.

More than 20 thousand people have been left homeless, with lucky one seeking refuge in schools at the time the government is encouraging people to maintain social distance due to Covid-19.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned Kenyans from various parts of a continuous heavy downpour for the next seven days while calling on those along major river banks to move to safer places.

In Western counties, thousands of houses have been left submerged with more than 2,000 people left homeless. Counties of Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya and Busia are the most hit by floods with locals camping in schools and churches.

In Tana River County, more than 500 families are still in the cold after River Tana broke its banks and swept houses along the way. The weatherman warns that the worst is yet to come.

A statement from the Kenya Meteorological Department says that several parts of the country are likely to receive more rain to May 6, 2020, when it is expected to reduce.

The government is calling on Kenyans in areas prone to landslides to mover to safer places.

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