Floods have killed 80 people in different parts of the country

At least 80 people have been killed, dozens injured and hundreds displaced in heavy rains experienced in different parts of the country in the last month.

By last Friday, police had recorded 63 deaths. At the weekend, there were more than 20 deaths recorded.

The latest deaths happened in Gatundu, Kiambu County, where 10 relatives died after their vehicle was swept away by raging floods.

In Homa Bay County, five people died after a bus they were travelling in was swept away near Agulo Muok trading centre on Friday.

Fourteen others were still missing, setting off intensive search and rescue operations at the weekend. According to the police the death toll could rise.

Other deaths have been reported in Nairobi, Kiambu, Narok and Meru counties, police headquarters said.

And the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) has warned of a disaster waiting to happen in Tana River after officials indicated the Seven Fork Dams are full and could burst any time. NDOC Deputy Director Jeremiah Njagi warned those living down stream along Tana River in Kitui to keep off from their homes because of the dangers posed.

“We are informed the dams are full to capacity and could cause havoc if and when they burst. Let those living downstream be warned that danger is coming,” said Mr Njagi.

The five stations under the scheme- Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma, and Kiambere have an installed capacity of 543 megawatts. Water has been cascaded from one station to the next, taking advantage of the head created by each dam to produce power. To provide adequate flow during the dry periods, water is stored at Masinga Reservoir and released during the dry season.

Njagi said the situation was still dangerous and called for caution from all concerned parties because the rains are still heavy in most parts of the country. The rains have affected almost half of the country- 24 counties- with Kenya Red Cross leading in the rescue missions.

According to Njagi, the real effects of the rains will be felt after they subside in January and many will find roads impassable and bridges swept away. He said that mudslides and flooding may be experienced in some areas due to the saturation.

The Meteorological Department said the rains will continue in the next week.

Major roads including Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, Narok-Bomet Highway, Turkana-Kitale Highway and many others have been rendered impassable especially at night in this period as the rains continue to pound.

Police said many cars had been swept away and damaged in the incidents.

Officials said heavy rainfall was witnessed in Narok, Nakuru,Tana Delta, Nairobi, Kiambu, Bomet, Tharaka Nithi, Siaya, Kirinyaga, Migori, Samburu, Nairobi, Bungoma, Nyeri, Nyandarua and Murang’a Counties.

In Narok, police have been positioned on roads to stop vehicles from both sides to wait for raging waters to subside whenever it rains upstream.

Officials said that other adverse effects to be expected from the rains include environmental degradation, destruction of infrastructure and the spread of water borne diseases especially in areas that are experiencing flooding.