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10 killed as floods wreak havoc in Coast region

The death toll is expected to increase as the search and rescue missions go on in the area

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by CYRUS OMBATI

Counties19 November 2023 - 18:00
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In Summary


  • • Countrywide, officials say up to 70 people have died and many displaced.
  • • The military joined in distributing food in parts of Wajir as the government marshalled efforts to reach the most affected.
The Kenya Air Force (KAF) in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society and Wajir government participated in a food distribution drive in Wajir county to those affected by floods

At least 10 people have been killed in torrential rains that have been pounding Mombasa, Tana River, Kwale and Kilifi counties since Friday, officials have said.

Coast regional commissioner Rhodah Onyancha said more than 10,000 households have been affected.

The death toll is expected to rise as the search and rescue missions go on in the area, officials said.

Countrywide, officials say up to 70 people have died and many displaced by the ongoing rains.

Three deaths were reported in Mombasa, two in Kwale, three in Kilifi, and two in Tana River, Onyancha said.

Interior PS Raymond Omollo said among the deceased are two Kenya Revenue Authority staff whose bodies are yet to be retrieved from Ramisi Bridge in Kwale.

He said on Friday morning, a vehicle belonging to Kenya Revenue Authority ferrying two passengers was swept away by floods at Ramisi Bridge in Lungalunga, Kwale county. The occupants were heading to Mombasa.

“We have established from Lungalunga One Stop Border Post that the occupants in the Land Cruiser vehicle were Joram Maina, Lungalunga Border Management Committee chairperson and David Ng’ang’a,” Omollo said.

“The vehicle has been pulled out from the raging waters and towed to Msambweni police station without the bodies of the two officers. However, a multi-agency team led by the Kenya Coast Guard Service is on scene trying to retrieve the bodies,” he said Sunday.

The most affected counties by the floods are Tana River and Mombasa, where several households have been displaced.

In Tana River, more than 5,000 families have been evacuated after River Tana burst its banks.

Onyancha said they have launched an operation to move thousands of residents living along River Tana, which has continued to swell, to higher grounds.

She said 3,892 families in Mombasa have been affected by the heavy rains and floods, with at least 300 families having no place to sleep after their houses were marooned or swept away by the raging floods.

“In Kilifi, at least 214 people have been displaced while in Taita Taveta, the least affected, the floods have left 82 households homeless. Latrines and toilets have also been destroyed, and there are fears of a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases.”

In Buna, Wajir county, the local police station was submerged by water as rains continued to pound the area.

The rains have cut transport and other form of communication in parts of Wajir, Mandera and Garissa.

The military joined in distributing food in parts of Wajir as the government marshalled efforts to reach the most affected.

The Meteorological Department has warned of more rains in the coming weeks and asked for action to address the effects of the same.

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