One of the survivors of the tragedy that left at least eight people dead after being swept away by floods in Makueni County, recounted last moments before the unfortunate turn of events.
The team was travelling back home from Nairobi when their vehicle was swept away by floods on Thursday night in Mukaa township, Makueni County.
According to the survivor, the group was from an event organized by First Lady Rachel Ruto – the 14 Anniversary of the Joyful Women Organization at Kasarani, Nairobi.
However, disaster struck as they attempted to cross Muuoni River which had broken its banks.
“We left home on Wednesday at 11pm, and everything was okay, we had a smooth journey,” said Mwikali, a survivor.
Mwikali further added, “By the time of return, we found the water volumes slowly increasing, although I managed to cross.”
Notably, a witness added that three other people were rescued by residents.
“They had just been dropped at Kavuthu Market and were supposed to walk to their homes located on the other side, Mutyambua location,” added the witness.
Overpowered by floods
Additionally, the witness explained that the victims were overpowered by the high-water levels as they reached the crossing point.
“They had almost crossed the raging river, but the water volumes increased abruptly, and they were all carried away,” added the witness.
According to Kenya Red Cross Makueni County coordinator Evans Peter, a rescue operation has since been launched.
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Notably, the Kenya Red Cross-led operation is being aided by locals and a team of emergency services from Makueni County Government.
Many other people were unable to cross over to the other side and reach their homes as the river was swollen.
Brace for Storms
This came as the weatherman listed Makueni County as one of the counties likely to experience isolated storms.
In its weekly weather outlook, the Kenya Meteorological Department – KMD listed areas where storms are expected as heavy rains pound various parts of the country.
Counties such as Tana River, Lamu, Makueni and Kitui Counties were some of the listed areas.
“Expect rain in many areas and isolated storms in parts of Central Highlands, South-eastern lowlands, Coast, Western, and North-eastern Kenya,” the Kenya Met Department noted.
Floods cause havoc
In addition, at least 700 people were displaced by flash floods, mudslides, and landslides in Makueni.
Also earlier in November, four people lost their lives in Kitui and Makueni counties following a heavy downpour.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, at least 70 people have since lost their lives with more than 100, 000 people being displaced by floods.
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As the effects of El Nino rains continue to be felt, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua dismissed complaints by governors regarding the allocation of funds by the national government to mitigate effects of the rains.
“We did commit as a national government to set aside funds for these interventions. We did appeal to the county governments also to consider channeling funds for these interventions.
However, there has been a misconception that some county governments have been waiting for the national government to give them money for these interventions.
That is not the case,” Gachagua stated.
