Infographic from UN OCHA showing which regions of Kenya are severly affected by
flooding and how many thousands of people have been displaced by the floods (as of
8 May 2024).
Devastating floods in Kenya
by Bosibori Osusu • 23 May 2024
Imagine waking up from bed, expecting to step onto your floor or bedside carpet, only to step into water. Unusual, right? Unfortunately, for many Kenyans that was the case as the country experienced one of its worse floods. “I was fast asleep then the next minute I heard water running. I thought that maybe I might have forgotten to close a tap, but when I woke up, I literally stepped into a pool of water. Water was literally coming through the windows,” said Catherine.
Since the heavy rains began towards the end of April 2024, no one expected them to turn into El Nino floods that took hundreds of lives and destroyed millions worth of properties. “I drove to work one morning, and when I was heading home that evening, the roads were flooded. I was stuck in traffic for almost 8hrs,” said Mark, a lawyer working in Nairobi.
Almost all counties were affected, but some more than others. Counties such as Nairobi, Kiambu, Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, among others, suffered the most damage. Buildings flooded, dams broke their banks, roads flooded and got damaged, crops were destroyed. And sadly, lives were lost. 228 people have been confirmed dead so far and another 72 are still unaccounted for. “One day I had my family and belongings intact. The next day I had lost literally everything,” said Anita with tears in her eyes. “I remember all I thought about was getting my family to safety. I didn’t care about the material things anymore. I was just glad that we were taken to safety by the rescue team,” she added.
Some people lost their sources of income as their businesses were washed away by the floods. “The floods took away everything. I do not know what to do next,” said Ngunjiri, a local small business owner. As a result of the roads flooding, transport prices were hiked in the affected areas. For those using public transport, this was a blow.
As a result of the floods, the government of Kenya, through the education CS1, Ezekiel Machogu postponed the school opening date, that was scheduled for 29th April 2024, by a week but was later postponed until further notice as the floods persisted. This news received quite different reactions from both parents and students. “I had prepared my daughter for school that Monday morning only to find out that the school opening date had been postponed. To be honest I was relieved since I was scared for her safety,” said Brigitte, a parent in Nairobi. “I was happy because to be honest, I had more time to look for school fees. With the current economic status, I was a welcome extension,” said Jackie.
I spoke to some of the students and this is what they had to say: “I was relieved since I got more time to relax and watch my favourite movies,” said Amanda, a junior secondary student. Some were not very thrilled about it. “I had psychologically prepared myself for school, then all of a sudden, the opening date was postponed. It just means I am going to stay in school longer than I expected,” said Kamau. Due to the devastating outcome of the floods, relief agencies such as the Red Cross, UNICEF and countries such as the UK have come together to provide aid to the affected.
Our next article will be published soon. Subscribe to receive a notification by email when new MissionField News articles are made available. (This service is offered free of charge.)
Notes:
1 “CS” stands for “Cabinet Secretary”. The Cabinet Secretary is the head of a ministry, in this case the Ministry of Education. back
About the author:
Bosibori Osusu is a Kenyan Journalist. She lives and works in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
About the graphic:
The source is: “Flash Update #5” of 10 May 2024 from United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), titled “Kenya: Heavy rains and flooding update”.
https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/kenya/kenya-heavy-rains-and-flooding-update-flash-update-5-10-may-2024
Suggested citation:
Bosibori Osusu: Devastating floods in Kenya. MissionField News (ISSN 2813-2270)
https://missionfield.news/2024/10_Floods
2024-05-23.