The heavy rains pounding Nairobi and other parts of the country have left a trail of destruction across the city with several city residents evacuated as flood waters rise.
Heavy rains on Saturday night left most city roads flooded, with vehicles submerged in some areas, with traffic snarl-ups reported across the county.
Namanga road in Kitengela was among the roads affected by the flooding.
Reports indicate that cars were swept by surging floods caused by poor drainage systems in the rapidly growing cosmopolitan town.
Videos and images circulated on social media showed vehicles leaning precariously along flooded roads.
A bus that was ferrying passengers was also depicted maneuvering the flooded road before losing control and falling on its side.
In some estates, flood water found its way into houses, with access completely cut off as
Residential areas were left under water with fallen trees obstructing motorists.
The leafy suburbs of Kilimani bore the brunt of the heavy downpour with vehicles and houses partially submerged in water.
With the heavy rains set to continue in the coming days based on forecasts by the Kenya Meteorology Department (Kenya Met), residents were asked to move to safer grounds until the flood water subsided.
“Keep those umbrellas handy and stay prepared for wet weather throughout the week,” Kenya Met noted in an update to Nairobi residents.
An update issued by Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) urged motorists to keep off several roads, including Raila Odinga (formerly Mbagathi Road) and Langata roads in Nairobi, and Links Road in Mombasa in the wake of the horror.
Poor drainage in the city has in the past been cited as a major concern with most blocked, resulting in flooded roads whenever it rains heavily.
60,000 displaced by floods in Nairobi
April 24, 2024
Four people have been confirmed dead while over 60,000 residents were displaced by floods in different parts of Nairobi following the heavy rainfall in the city.
In a statement on Wednesday April 24, 2024, Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja explained that about 60,000 residents, mostly women and children, were severely affected by floods in the city.
“Unfortunately we have lost 4 lives, and the search is on to locate 6 others who have been reported missing.
“The following areas have been adversely affected; Kibra, Lindi, Mathare 4A and Mathare North, Baba Dogo, Githurai and Zimmerman,” Sakaja noted.
Sakaja released a statement after touring different parts of Nairobi, such as Mathare, Utalii in Ruaraka area that were hardest hit by the rains.
“This morning together with Members of Parliament in Nairobi and local leadership toured several areas amongst them Mathare, Utalii in Ruaraka area which has been the hardest hit by the rains.
“Our mission this morning was to see the extent of the flooding, to hear from some of the people affected, get a glimpse into the scale and scope of the response and interventions from the joint team provided by Nairobi county,” Sakaja explained.
He added that several bridges in the city have been affected namely; Mathare NorthJohn Saga, Huruma – Gateway Bridge, Ngumba bridge , 4B near Utalii hotel, Ngomongo (it was swept away), Githathuru footbridge near police depot, Sara Ngombe footbridge.
The four bodies of suspected flood victims were retrieved from Mathare River following heavy rains witnessed in Nairobi on Tuesday.
According to Starehe Sub-county Police Commander Fred Abuga the victims include two men and two women.
The police boss further stated that six other people remain unaccounted for as a search operation continues in Mathare.
Meanwhile, the bursting of Ngong River banks affected many areas across the city especially downstream including the flooding of Mbagathi Roundabout, flooding in Ectoville Industrial Estate in Mukuru kwa Rueben Ward, and flooding in Mwiki Ward along Eastern bypass.
Most of the roads were also affected by the floods, disrupting traffic and human movement in the city.
Various roads were affected including: Raila Odinga Road, Jogoo road, Enterprise road, Ole Odume and Langata Road junction (near T-Mall), Langata south road, Eastern bypass, Kenyatta avenue that flooded due to huge volumes of water as a result of Ngong River bursting its banks.
Other roads affected include Ojijo Road, Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road.
Nairobi Roads Closed, Buildings and Permits Halted as City Floods
And below is Nairobi River which William Ruto said will be cleaned in 30 days sometimes in 2023 and gave that job of cleaning up the river to his DP Rigathi Gachagua.
They have done a very good job it seems.
The sorry state of Kenya’s Nairobi River
On an overcast mid-morning in downtown Nairobi, the roads are muddy and trenches strewn with garbage. That same garbage will invariably end up in the Nairobi River, which snakes through the city. In the informal settlements downstream. The river is so polluted with all manner of garbage and industrial effluent. Sometimes dead bodies wash up.
Rehabilitation initiatives have yielded minimal success. The capital of 4.3 million people depend on water from the neighbouring Muranga County, while ironically, the permanent Nairobi River is rendered unusable.
Standing on a restored riparian patch on the banks of Nairobi River where a dumpsite stood last year, Fred Okinda, a resident of Korogocho recalls his younger days with nostalgia. In the early 1990’s he would swim with his friends in the river a short distance from his home. “Every day after school, swimming was our sport and we would come here with friends. The water was so clean,” he said.
Various government bodies, including the Nairobi County government, Athi Water, Ministry of Water, and the National Water Management Authority, among others, have for years announced programs to rehabilitate the river. Last year, government officials promised to rehabilitate the river in 30 days vowing to resign if that wasn’t achieved. It never happened, and no one resigned.
How are you prepared to deal with this problem of Floods? Since January you haven’t gotten a good plan to fix Nairobi’s Drainage route? This is a city, it’s a Disgrace to live in such an environment where everyone feels unsafe when it rains. Bwana Governor you need to Fix that.
Is this not Harmful to human health Bwana Governor?
It looks like you’ve just abandoned Nairobi. What a mess!
Now here is the amazing thing about Nairobi City. They have the Nairobi National Park right at the city edge which makes Nairobi the only capital city in the world to have something so great in their city.
A paved walkway inside the refurbished Uhuru Park in Nairobi.
We have Uhuru Park which is by far the largest natural park at the heart of any city in the world. And then we have Nairobi River and if we made that into a fresh water river in Nairobi it would be a gem with no equals in the world.
This Giraffe in Nairobi and so many of them in that park are taller than the huge buildings behind them in the city. It is a very good thing for the city.
Nairobi National Park
Welcome to Nairobi National Park “The World’s only Wildlife Capital” , located just 7 kilometers from the city center. It is the only protected area in the world with such a huge variety of animals and birds close to a capital city. Our capital city has the potential with that Nairobi River clean and running to be an exceptional place to live in or visit.
When I saw River Nile running through Khartoum, the capital city of the Sudan, while flying from Tanzania, it was the most stunning thing I ever saw. I was with my two great friends and comrades Onyango Oloo and Githirwa Muhoro from Dar es Salaam as Kenyan exiles being shipped to Canada by air and we were looking at this river in Khartoum. It just kept going on. We couldn’t believe it. If they gave us a chance we would have said lets step down here in for a while. Imagine Nairobi River like that in Nairobi County our capital city.
Instead Nairobi River is the ugliest place you even want to look at because it is full of garbage and every piece of shit anybody can imagine of.
Nairobi river happens to pass right next to Nairobi University on the way to Chiromo campus and one time as students we were being shot at the campus at night and we ran out and some guys jumped into the river so they could hide and just come out to breathe.
I said to myself I am not jumping into that filth and we ended up in a warehouse to hide from the police bullets. When we came back we told the folks who jumped into the river to take a shower a hundred times if they want to stay alive. They listened to us and did just that.
With a population of almost 5 million Nairobi is bigger than many countries in the world and if that place was managed by a serious national and county government it could be the best place in the whole world. Instead it is a piece of junk house which is right now covered in complete shit and garbage. Elections and choices Kenyans make have consequences and we can see that as a country.
Raila Tells President Ruto To Declare Floods A National Disaster
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader Raila Odinga is now appealing to President William Ruto to declare the ongoing heavy floods a national disaster, amid rising cases in displacement and deaths across various parts of the country.
The opposition chief, addressing the press on Wednesday evening, urged the Head of State to dispatch military response units as part of an emergency protocol to help in mitigating the damage being caused by the floods.
He also wants an emergency fund set up in a bid to assist flood victims, noting that opposition-allied Members of Parliament have since jointly raised a Ksh.1 million donation which shall be presented to the Kenya Red Cross for the cause.
“It is our urgent appeal that the President and government hereby declare the floods a national disaster and immediately activate all emergency mechanisms, including military disaster response teams,” he stated.
“The Red Cross moves to launch an emergency disaster support kitty to assist families affected by the flooding, for urgent distribution on case by case basis. As we speak the Azimio MPs assembled here have already put together the sum of Ksh.1 million as a start which shall be given to the Red Cross in Nairobi for distribution to the affected people.”
Mr. Odinga went ahead to urge the Governor Johnson Sakaja-led Nairobi County government to undertake proper rescue efforts in areas most affected by the floods and provide relevant support to all victims.
He further told the Kenya Kwanza government to put in place long-lasting measures to deal with the prenennial menace, noting that “as a country, we can do better than crying for help when rains come and crying for help again when the rains fail.”
“While we continue to receive reports from other parts of Nairobi and access to some neighbourhoods remains critically limited, we appeal to the government and other disaster response agencies to launch thorough search and rescue efforts in all affected areas, and provide food rations, blankets and medication to affected residents,” he said.
“It is important to point out that all forecasts show that the rains will be pouring some more tonight and the coming days, which means the disaster is about to get worse. Preparedness is key to forestalling a crisis of larger proportions.”
President Ruto Departs For Tanzania, Zimbabwe
By Citizen Reporter Published on: April 25, 2024
President Ruto will leave the country on Thursday afternoon for visits to Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
According to State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, President Ruto’s first stop will be Tanzania, where he will attend celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of the union of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Ruto will then embark on a two-day State Visit to Zimbabwe, with the goal of strengthening Kenya-Zimbabwe political, economic, and socio-cultural ties.
Ruto arrives in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania
He’ll Friday attend 60th anniversary of Union of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar Island.
President William Ruto arrives in Dar es Salaam ,Tanzania, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Union of mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar, April 25, 2024.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto on Thursday evening arrived in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.
The President was received by Tanzania’s minister for Minerals, Anthony Mavunde.
Ruto will participate in celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Union of mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar.
State House said his participation underscores Kenya’s cherished relationship, good neighbourliness, steadfast partnership and solidarity with the United Republic of Tanzania and its people.
President William Ruto, Mama Rachel Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in Tanzania ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Union of mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar on April 25, 2024.
President William Ruto arrives at Dar es Salam, Tanzania; received by Anthony Mavunde, Minister for Minerals.
