Nairobi floods: Seven die as heavy rains expose poor drainage system
At least seven people are feared dead after a heavy downpour hit Nairobi on Sunday night, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The heavy rains have also exposed the capital’s age-old problem of poor drainage, which City Hall has been struggling with for years. Among the dead was an on-duty police officer identified as David Chesire. According to Nairobi Regional Commander Adamson Bungei, Chesire was on his way to rescue four people trapped in a stall at the Country Bus Station before they were swept away by the floods. His body has yet to be recovered as rescuers continue to search for his remains. As a result, the officer was swept away by the raging waters along with his AK 47 rifle,” the report said… “We have searched for him in vain. We are going back to the spot to continue the search,” Mr Bungei told the media. In Dandora Phase 5, a family was left in tears after their daughter was swept away by the floods while trying to cross a dancing makeshift bridge over a tributary of the Nairobi River. The incident happened at around 7am when the two schoolgirls were on their way to Ushirika Primary School before one of them slipped into the fast-moving water in the Maili Saba area. “The boy asked the girl to walk first and when the girl was about to cross to the other side, she slipped and efforts to help her failed,” said Esther Kamau, the head teacher at Ushirika. Police said they were still searching for the body of the student, as well as one of the rescuers who tried to save the girl only to drown. According to Nairobi County District Administrator Charles Maboga, another body was recovered from the banks of the Korokocho River on Monday morning. Mr Maboga said he was called and informed of the body of a woman, which was later picked up by police. In a separate incident, a body was recovered in the Makumi area of Waruku, which the Nairobi County government confirmed was one of the deaths caused by the floods in the city. Disruption and displacement In a statement, Governor Sakaja said his disaster management team had confirmed that more than 300 families had been affected in Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Kwa Njenga and another 20 households in Waruku area. More than 300 families were also affected in Kware area and about 150 families in Biafra and Kinyago in Kamukunji. About 100 families were affected in Viwandani and 200 in Matopeni area of Kayole. The Njiru area was also affected. At press time, the Kenya Red Cross Society was still verifying data from its field assessment team.