13 bodies have been recovered in separate places in Nairobi following the heavy rains experienced that have seen many people lose lives and property.
Police say 11 bodies were recovered in Mathare, they were among those swept away by the raging floods on Tuesday night. The other bodies were each from Kibera and Kayole.
The death toll due to the raging floods in the country currently stands at 49, a number officials say they fear may rise if the heavy rains still continue.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said emergency multi-agency teams are combing various places in search and rescue mission.
He urged those living near river paths to move out given the projection by the Kenya Meteorological Department shows that the rains will increase in the coming days.
“The teams are still on the ground to assess the situation but we continue to urge those who can to move out of the paths,” Bungei said.
“The President and government should declare the floods a national disaster and immediately activate all emergency mechanisms, including military disaster response teams,” Raila said.Azimio la Umoja One Coalition party leader urged Governor Johnson Sakaja together with the national government to put in place long-lasting measures to deal with the perennial menace.
“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 neighborhoods 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.
Raila disclosed that opposition-allied Members of Parliament have since jointly raised a Sh1 million donation which shall be presented to the Kenya Red Cross for the cause.
In anticipation for the worst, he called for preparedness as a key measure to mitigate any further crisis of larger proportions.
While William Ruto focused on stopping Sakaja from becoming the Nairobi UDA Chair overnight, Raila Odinga worked tirelessly with Nairobi leaders to address the city’s challenges caused by heavy rains. pic.twitter.com/gl125RtR7k
— Cornelius K. Ronoh (@itskipronoh) April 25, 2024