Floods reign supreme after Tana River bursts its banks

The Kenya National Highways Authority has announced that the Tana River has burst its banks.

In a statement on Saturday, KeNHA said the river burst its banks between Madogo Total Station, Mororo and Tana River Bridge.

KeNHA said it led to the flooding of the section between Madogo Town and Tana River Bridge.

The Authority said the road in the section is rapidly eroding potentially leading to dangerous washouts.

"Motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the road section. Similarly, area residents are advised to avoid idling near flooding waters, as there are risks of stray crocodile attacks," the statement read.

"The KeNHA team is on the ground closely monitoring the situation and will update on progress."

The Authority said that once the water levels subside it will embark on the requisite restoration measures.

This comes at a time when the country is experiencing El Nino rains that have caused flooding in some counties.

A section of roads have been rendered impassable; some roads have been totally cut off and residents forced to seek alternative routes.

On Saturday, the Mombasa-Malindi highway was rendered impassable after a section of the Mbogolo bridge was washed away by raging floods.

In Garissa, the Hola-Garissa highway was also flooded as well as the Isiolo-Garissa highway.

Garissa and Tana River are among the most affected counties by floods as detailed in needs assessments conducted in the two counties by the Flood Command Centre managed by the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) as of November 23, 2023.

Another section of the Mombasa-Malindi highway was submerged in water at Mtondia a few kilometres from Kilifi town.

Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) issued a traffic advisory and announced the closure of the road.

President William Ruto has assured Kenyans that plans are underway to mitigate the effects of the ongoing flood disaster.

The President said at least 70 lives have been lost and 36,000 households displaced following the intense downpour.