3 dead, thousands displaced as floods wreak havoc in Mandera

Three people have died and thousands of others have been displaced by floods following heavy rains in Mandera County.

While presiding over the distribution of non-food items in Mandera town, County Commissioner Amos Mariba said the three died after they fell into a flooded ditch in Mandera South. 

"Three people, an 85-year-old woman and two children, the latter of which recently completed KCPE exams, died after they fell into a flooded ditch in Elwak, Mandera South," said Mariba.

According to Mandera County Kenya Red Cross Society Coordinator Mustafa Adan, nearly five thousand households have been affected by floods across the county.

"In four sub-counties, a total of 4,932 households need support out of which 3,113 were affected and 1,812 displaced by floods," said Adan. 

Mandera North and Mandera East remain the most affected River Daua burst its banks, flooding nearby homesteads.  

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Adan said Mandera South and Lafey su-counties also need immediate attention as rain is set to increase in those areas.

According to Khalalio MCA Mohamed Noor Yussuf, Dariqa location in Mandera East is entirely flooded displacing over 250 households.

"As a local leader, I have exhausted all available means to evacuate 250 families in Dariqa. We appeal for more support from the government and well-wishers before death cases occur," appealed Yussuf.

Locals now fear the breakout of waterborne diseases.

Mandera Governor Mohamed Kalif has, however, pledged that his administration will support all the affected families with sanitation products and assorted foodstuffs to cope with the disaster.

"To the 5,000 people affected by floods we will provide food, non-food items, vaccines, and sanitation products to help prevent waterborne diseases," said Kalif

Governor Kalif added: "These floods have submerged local schools in Elwak Town, hindering the education of our students, and have also disrupted the operations of vital local institutions, including hospitals, affecting service provision."

County Woman Representative Umulkher Kassim, who visited some farms in Mandera East, said sources of livelihoods have been hampered as roads have been cut off.

"Approximately 9,000 irrigated farmland from BP1 to Malkamari were affected by river floods and this has a great impact on our crops," said Kassim.

Accessibility to the markets across the sub-counties has also experienced a low supply of food commodities as roads are impassable.

 Hundreds of lorries and trucks carrying assorted items are stuck at Kotulo as the only bridge at the entry point into the county has been submerged.