Four Individuals have been trapped in raging waters in Mlanjo, Tana River for three days now after the banks of the river burst.
Speaking to The Kenya Times on phone on Sunday, November 26, one of the victims, Rogers Mukoya lamented about their desperate situation stating that they were completely surrounded by water and were scared of drowning.
At the same time, he begged that the relevant authorities come to their rescue before it was too late, noting that the water was quickly rising.
Notably, their boss, with the username ‘Msee wa cement’ on X, shared pins on their exact location tagging government officials and humanitarian aid like Red Cross to come to the aid of the four.
In panic, the victim said that their boss decided to try and reach out to the authorities after they realized that help was not coming.
Details of the Ordeal Before Trap in Raging Waters
According to Rogers, they had been living in tents after the banks of Tana River burst. However, their tents were recently swept away by the waters and their property destroyed.
In an attempt to salvage some of their belonging from the tent, the four realized on their way back that the waters had risen to an alarming level.
They therefore decided against crossing and went towards the river where there was a heap of sand that they could stand on.
However, by press time, the victim noted that the sand was slowly getting washed away and getting submerged by the waters adding that they had nowhere else to go.
“The waves became too much for us to wade through forcing us to go back towards the river. If the rescue team is coming, they should please follow the river because they will be able to identify us faster,” he added.
The Kenya Times Reaches out to Kenya Red Cross
In an attempt to help Rogers and his colleagues from drowning, The Kenya Times called the Kenya Red Cross Nairobi boss to inquire whether the matter had come to their attention.
The humanitarian organization had not yet deployed first responders to rescue the victims, leaving us anxious for the drowning victims, as they kept calling to beg for help.
After a few minutes, the humanitarian organization Kenya Red Cross, responded to the statement on X, noting that they would deploy rescue team to the location.
An attempt to reach the organization through the helpline 1199 was futile as the contact did not go through.
Also Read: Ruto Bows to Pressure, Calls for Crisis Meeting on El Nino
Government Warning on Tana River
Earlier, the government issued a warning to residents around the seven folks dam area, asking them to relocate because of imminent spillage.
“We have witnessed a big jump this week at Kamburu and we suspect that we will be reaching the maximum levels this weekend or early next week should the water in flows remain as they are,” stated KenGen.
On Saturday, November 25, three residents on Taita Taveta drowned while three residents of Mombasa drowned while trying to repair a sewer manhole.
By November 25, the death toll as a result of El Nino had reached 90.
Also Read: Kenyans Blast Ruto as He Mourns El Nino Victims
Ruto El Nino Mitigation
Consequently, a section of Kenyans criticized President William Ruto for sending condolence messages to families of the victims of floods, that is a result of El Nino.
This came after President Ruto had earlier on downplayed the impact of the rain, brushing off the predictions of El Nino.
“We condole with the families of the victims of the ongoing intense downpour and flooding in some parts of the country. We are pained by the loss of lives in Kwale, Mombasa, Samburu and, lately, Makueni County among other places,” stated Ruto.
In addition, the head of state noted that the Government will act to ensure all Kenyans are secure.
