Floods wreak havoc across Coastal counties

Members of the public and motorists wade through a flooded section of the road along Bamburi-Kiembeni Estate road in Kisauni after a heavy downpour overnight on Wednesday night, October 17, 2019. [Photo: Standard]

Heavy rains pounded Coastal counties causing crop and infrastructure destruction.

The floods destroyed roads uprooted urban slum dwellers and main road links and bridges.

Many parts of Mombasa reported power outages caused by falling electricity pylons or water-soaked transformers. Key slum areas of Mombasa such as Mishomoroni, Moroto, and Utange, were cut off from the city by rains that poured from Wednesday through to yesterday.

For the better part of yesterday morning, most parts of Malindi and Mombasa towns were impassable due to floods caused by poor drainage.

Two bridges, including the one linking Diani and Lungalunga at Kinondoni in Kwale Miembeni were swept away. Also swept was the main bridge linking Tanzania and Kenya at Mihogoni trading centre, according to Kwale Red Cross coordinator Mohamed Waenzi.

"Transport has been paralysed in these areas and we are on the ground monitoring the situation," he said.

Lungalunga police boss Peter Dzimbi said yesterday that transport had been paralysed, adding that they stopped all vehicles from using the roads. Motorists entering Kenya from Tanzania were the most affected.

A senior police officer said about 200 vehicles used the road daily.

Passengers, some traveling to Tanzania and Lungalunga, remained stranded on the road as security officers sought ways out of the problem.

"We have advised the drivers and passengers to halt their business as we assess the situation, everything is at a standstill," he told The Standard on phone.

Flooding was also reported in Wundanyi, Werugha, Ngerenyi, and Wesu, where farmland, roads and toilets were destroyed.

Last evening, the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) said rehabilitation of the broken bridge in Lungalunga was underway.

Clara Ouko from KeNHA's corporate communication department confirmed that transport was disrupted in many parts of Kwale due to heavy rains and flooding.

Ms Ouko said the situation was most acute on the Likoni-Lungalunga road, with traffic being rerouted to the Lungalunga-Kwale-Kombani road following the damage of a culvert at Muhogo.

The rains also wreaked havoc in Wajir County, where houses were submerged earlier this week.

The Wajir County Disaster Management advised communities living along seasonal rivers, swampy areas and waterways, to relocate to higher grounds.

Mandera County Government’s Chief Officer for Livestock and Fisheries Shamsi Mohamud said flooding had caused the death of several livestocks since they started early this month.

Johara Abdi, Mandera’s Agriculture Executive, crops estimated to be worth Sh215.2 million had been lost courtesy of the floods.

The most affected areas were Hareri, Aresa, Gadidia, Khalalio, Dariqa, Bella  Fiqow and Jirma in Mandera East, Rhamu and Rhamu Dimtu wards in Mandera North and Sala in Lafey sub-county.

Reported by Weldon Kipkemoi  and Renson Mnyamwezi and Abdimalik Hajir