By Lawrence Aluru  and Antony Gitonga

More than 500 people in Siaya County’s West Ugenya ward were displaced after River Nzoia burst its banks due to heavy rains pounding Cherangani Hills.

The Deputy Speaker of the County Assembly, Stephen Kadera, said among the affected areas are Sifuyo, Lung’a and Boro.

Mr Kadera said the river burst its banks in Mahawa area, adding residents should move to safer grounds.

“Quite a number in the area depend on sand harvesting, which has since stopped and the sand they had harvested before the start of the rains have been swept away,” he said.

He said no lives have been lost, but crops have been swept away by the floods.

Kadera said he would move a Motion in the County Assembly that will create a long-term solution to the problem.

“I will move a Motion when the House business begins so that the county can do irrigation because the land is very fertile but floods interfere every year,” he added.

divert traffic

He said dykes should be constructed on the shores of the river in Mahawa so that the water can be contained and farming intensified. 

Area District Officer Kazungu Kizito said they will liaise with the DC to find a solution for the residents.

Separately, motorists using the Nairobi-Nakuru highway have been placed on high alert after River Malewa in Naivasha burst its banks spilling its waters on the busy highway.

There are fears that the bridge that connects Naivasha and Nakuru could be washed away as the water levels continued to rise sharply, flooding nearby farms.

This came as the nearby Nairobi-Nakuru railway line in Naivasha was closed as the waters flooded a cross-over adversely affecting transport system on the line.

And in the nearby KCC village, more than 50 families were ordered to vacate after the water levels rose.

The flooding occurred after one of the biggest dams in Kinangop, Nyandurua County, burst its banks spilling millions of litres into the river.

Livestock and farm produce were washed away by the gushing waters as fears rose on the fate of the Malewa Bridge, which had started to develop cracks.

Naivasha OCPD Charles Kortok said they were monitoring the situation closely and could divert traffic if the water levels rose further.