Two boys swept away by raging floods in Narok

Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Narok county after two boys were swept away by raging floods as they attempted to cross the swollen Oletukat river.

Confirming the incident, Alex Sankok, a local who witnessed the incident said the boys while on their way back home at around 4pm evening when the incident happened.

Sankok said they were in a group of four when they were crossing the river. The two others were rescued while the rest were carried away.

"Currently the locals are looking for the bodies which were carried downstream,” said Sankok.

Area Sub-county commander Joseph Kisombe confirmed the incident saying police are at the scene trying to locate the bodies.

"We received the report at around 3pm and due to the raging floods, it’s difficult for our officers to trace anything. Retrieval efforts will proceed tomorrow,” he said.

The two-hour downpour has caused massive destruction. The drainage infrastructure that was put up a year ago at the cost of Sh200 million struggled to contain the stormwater.

Traders were forced to shut down their business premises for fear that stormwater drainage might collapse and give in to the raging floods.

Residents who spoke to the Standard Digital said the county government ought to look for a lasting solution to the flooding menace.

Floods in Narok Town have resulted in deaths and property loss every year.

In 2015, 11 people were swept away by the raging floods, scores injured and property worth millions destroyed.

In 2018, the national and the county government spend a whopping Sh200 million to construct five flood check dams and three water pans in the outskirts of Narok town to prevent floods in the county.

An additional ten water pans were constructed upstream of the flood path that leads into Narok town.

Existing flood paths through the town were widened and deepened to further ease the flow of water.

The huge trenches traversing the town’s central business district were reinforced with concrete.

The town’s drainage system, particularly along the town's main road, was redone after the floods that ravaged the town last year in April.

Over 15 people perished at the time.