The Nakuru government has directed families living around lakes Naivasha and Nakuru to relocate to safer grounds following a sharp rise in water levels.
More than 5,000 families have been affected by the heavy rains, with estates around the two water bodies hardest-hit.
Already, dozens of families living along rivers Malewa and Karati in Naivasha have been displaced, with one person drowning in Kuresoi.
Disaster Management Chief Officer Ann Njenga said there were fears that the number of those affected could rise in the coming days.
“We have over 5,000 families that have been displaced by the floods and the county is assisting them with food,” she said.
She said the worst-hit areas are Kihoto Estate in Naivasha, Mbaruk ward in Gilgil, Ndabibi and Kiptagich in Kuresoi.
“In Kihoto and Mbaruk, we have residents who border lakes Naivasha and Nakuru, and we have advised them to move to higher grounds,” Njenga said.
The county on Wednesday donated food and other non-food items to more than 300 families displaced by floods in Ndabibi, Naivasha.
The county, she said, is using the Sh58 million set aside for emergencies to assist those affected by the current crisis. “The county had set aside Sh3 million per ward to fight Covid-19, and we have been forced to dig deeper to assist those affected by floods,” Njenga said.
MCA Gathariki Kamanu said the area had in the past recorded similar flooding but termed the current one serious.
The Maella MCA said the only solution in addressing the problem is for people to relocate to higher grounds.
“These families have legal title deeds allocated by the government but the land has turned out to be uninhabitable and hence to need to move them to safer grounds,” Kamanu said.
Edited by A.N