Heavy rains pounding parts of Kenyans capital Nairobi wreak havoc claiming lives and flooding roads in the midst of poor drainage systems.
The Kenya Red Cross is asking city residents in Nairobi to prepare for an emergency situation in the wake of heavy rains.
Leading newspapers are reporting that at least five people were killed in separate incidents in the downpour.
A police officer said to have been responding to a distress call from a family trapped in the floods in Nairobi’s Kamukunji area is among the casualties.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei says the deceased fell into an open manhole and was swept by the raging waters. The police boss confirms that four other people across the city estates of Gigiri, Dagoretti and Buruburu were swept by the rains.
Hundreds remain displaced. The roads including the express way was flooded and it took the intervention of the Kenya National Highway Authority KENHA to deploy machinery to drain the water.
Most city estates like Eastleigh experienced flooding following clogged the drainage systems causing traffic snarl up and vehicles getting submerged.
HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES ISSUE FLOOD ALERT
The Red Cross has issued safety tips to apply when faced with an emergency. The Kenya meteorological department in its forecast is predicting more heavy rains. In the rainfall outlook for march 2024 posted on its website, the weatherman says most parts of the country will receive above average rainfall . It notes that there will be isolated episodes of heavy rainfall across the country during the month.
