Naema Tandao 
| Faith Nyongesa |
From April 18,2024, Kenya has been experiencing severe flooding, impacting residents in 21 out of 47 counties. Significant flash floods have struck Nairobi, Makueni, West Pokot and Machakos counties, leading to casualties, property damage and service disruptions.
For instance, the metropolitan hub of Nairobi and its environment faced severe impacts i.e. both the Nairobi River and Athi River overflowed leading to the displacement of approximately 40,000 individuals. The total number of displaced people surpassed 130000 with 91 missing, 29 injured and 169 confirmed dead. Additionally,the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs noted significant losses, including 960 livestock and 24 thousands acres of flooded farmland.
On the 28th of April, a vessel with 43 individuals aboard overturned in the flooded section of the Madogo-Kona Punda area along the Nairobi-Garissa Road.Out of these,23 were saved 7 lost their lives and 13 remain unaccounted for.
The following day on Monday 29th of April,a tragic event unfold as 45 individuals perished while 109 were rescued from a tunnel in old Kijabe town.The tunnel collapsed under the weight of debris and water,exacerbated by continuous rainfall.This calamity resulted in the devastation of residences in Kamuchiri village,Mai Mahiu, Nakuru county.
Due to the ongoing floods the government has decided to put hold or rather postpone some various activities .It has decided to delay the planned reopening of schools until Monday, May 6th 2024.
According to a statement by education cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu,they have gathered information indicating that certain schools have been severely impacted by the flooding situation.He emphasized that sending students and staff to these affected schools would endanger their lives,leading to the choice to defer the reopening.”The serious impact of the heavy rains on certain schools is such that it would be unwise to endanger the lives of students and staff without first implementing thorough safety measures to protect all affected communities.
After evaluating the situation,the Ministry of Education has decided to delay the reopening of both primary and secondary schools by one week until Monday May 6 2024,”stated Machogu.
In addition,on Wednesday 1st May 2024 , Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) declared shutdown of Key roads in Nairobi.“Due to the intense rainfall last night throughout Nairobi and Kiambu counties ,several roads have been significantly impacted,resulting in partial closures.
Among the affected routes are enterprise Road,Eastern Bypass and Thika road”says KURA.They urged motorists using these routes to refrain from navigating through flooded areas while technical teams work to clear the roads.” Our traffic police and technical teams are actively present to manage traffic flow and ensure motorists’ safety.We will provide updates as the situation progresses.Drive cautiously and avoid crossing flooded sections,”they emphasized.
