About 5,000 families have been displaced in Muhoroni subcounty of Kisumu following the ongoing heavy rains.
The affected families are in evacuation centres, with some camping in nearby primary schools.
Muhoroni constituency manager Sospeter Ngere said 2,000 households have been affected.
He said several houses have been marooned by the raging flood waters. Crops and roads have been damaged.
Kigoche, Obumba and Orenge in Ombeyi ward, Orago and Simbi in Masogo-Nyangoma ward and Sanda in North East Kano are the most affected.
Ngere appealed to the residents in flood prone areas to move to safe grounds and evacuation centres.
Learning in various schools has been disrupted.
“We are calling upon locals to cooperate with government authorities and to move to safe grounds to avert further losses and death,” he said.
The manager called for urgent intervention and support by the national and county governments to the affected families.
Those displaced require food and medication, Ngere said.
He said the area MP Onyango Koyoo was working with both the national and county governments to support the families.
Koyoo, he said, has appealed to the county government to avail excavators, medical supplies and food and non-food items to the affected people.
The MP has contacted the Ministries of Devolution and Water to avail more excavators to open up drainages and desilt rivers and streams.
Last year, Koyoo received six excavators which helped in the construction of dykes along River Nyando especially in Nyamtenda, Gatundu and Obiayo Ahero areas.
The dykes, Ngere said, have help in controlling flooding within the area.
More dykes were built in Kibigori in Chemelil location, Kore in Ombeyi, parts of Kango and Obumba and Ogwodo in North East Kano location.
Koyoo called on the government to expedite the construction of the Sh32 billion Koru-Soin dam to help in controlling flooding.
Already, the government is compensating owners of the lands to be affected by the multi-billion project.
The approximate cost for the dam and water supply components is Sh30 billion, while land compensation costs Sh2 billion. The government has committed Sh25 billion for the project.
National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority chairman Erick Okeyo said Sh2 billion has been allocated to NLC to compensate landowners. A total of 360 parcels will be acquired for the project.
He said 230 of the parcels will be affected in Kisumu county and 130 in Kericho.
The proposed Soin-Koru Dam is a Vision 2030 flagship project located in Kisumu and Kericho counties along River Nyando. The Soin-Koru Dam was started in 1982 by the Italian government and taken over by the NWCPC in 2009.
One of the major benefits of the project will be to control the perennial floods caused by River Nyando over-topping its banks.
Flooding in lower reaches of Kano plains displaces more than 5,000 people yearly, costing about Sh50 million in damages. A further Sh30 million is lost in rehabilitation measures.
(edited by o. owino)