Nyanza Regional Commissioner Flora Mworoa has revealed that over 1,000 households have been displaced by the raging floods, with at least 6,302 people adversely affected.
Mworoa attributed this to heavy downpours across the Nyanza Region. She said the displaced households still struggling with the flood are found in Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, and Homa Bay Counties.
“The most affected areas are Nyando and Kadibo, both in Kisumu, which has 4,362 households affected with 34 families displaced; Migori registered 1,280 households with 53 displaced, mostly in Nyatike; Siaya has 80 households with 6 families displaced,’’ Mworoa said.
She added statistics for families in Homabay as 1,731 households with 907 displaced, Migori as 1,280 households and 53 displaced, but Kisii and Nyamira counties aren’t affected by the floods.
“Yesterday in the morning, because of the rains we had the previous night, the River Nyando burst its banks, killing one person from Winam’, she disclosed.
Mworoa said, “Since a huge number has been displaced, we would like to make a special appeal to the members of the public in the affected areas to move to higher grounds.” She assured members of the public that they were making arrangements for the distribution of food and other non-food items to ease their suffering.
The RC explained that the assorted supplies would go a long way in alleviating the problems resulting from the displacement of our people out of their places of abode.
The Regional boss revealed that they are working closely with the Kenya Red Cross to give aid to the affected families.
“We are working closely with the Western Hub (various NGOs) on providing aid to flood victims. In our fruitful collaborations, after a meeting three weeks ago, they gave us an advisory on the onset of the heavy rains pounding the area from March to May,’’ she clarified.
The multi-agency consists of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), the County governments and Non-State Actors.
Mworoa said some of the interventions put in place are temporary, pointing out that the government has put in place mechanisms to ensure that dykes are built and that the ongoing construction of Koru-Soin Dam will be part of the solution to the perennial flood problems in Nyando and its environs.
She said that most of the affected families are camping in school fields. Some of the schools that they are currently located at are Nanga, Odenyo, and Ebenezer Academy.
By Joseph Ouma and Rolex Omondi
