The on-going heavy rains in the country have left a trail of destruction in Shompole and Pakase areas of Kajiado West with hundreds of families left homeless.
The rains, which started pounding the area on Thursday night left houses marooned in water and property destroyed with many families forced to spend the night in the cold.
Reverend Simon Kateri, a resident of Shompole, appealed to the government to come to their rescue and supply them with mosquito nets and food as most roads in the area had been cut off and they are unable to access the markets for basic commodities.
Kateri said his family has been forced to spend the Friday and Saturday nights in the cold as his house was completely submerged in water and rendered inaccessible.
“The rains have been pounding here the whole week. It got heavier on Thursday night and Friday and water entered into our houses forcing us to sleep outside. I am appealing to the government to come to our rescue and give us mosquito nets and food as we are unable to access the market,” said the Pastor Kateri.
He added that the residents were now at risk of water-borne diseases like cholera and called for urgent supply of water treatment tablets to keep diseases at bay.
Alice Naserian, a mother of four said she has been forced to seek shelter at her relative’s house who lives on higher grounds as her house was completely submerged and all her furniture and beings destroyed.
Naserian said her children have no food or clothes to wear as the rains had marooned everything in the house and she has been unable to access it.
In Kajiado North, residents of Ongata Rongai have appealed to the County Government to move with haste and complete the construction of Olekesasi Bridge which had previously claimed the lives of more than ten residents over the years.
The residents expressed their concerns that five months down the line since a student drowned while crossing the bridge on her way to school, no repairs had been done.
They said the bridge was a ‘disaster in waiting’ as the water levels in River Ole Kesasi was rising as a result of the heavy rains making it dangerous to cross.
Elsewhere the road connecting Kajiado town to Loitokitok through Mashuuru has been cut off completely after Imaroro River burst its banks. Motorists were forced to spend the night in their vehicles over the weekend as they waited for the water to subside with others opting to turn back as the bridge was impassable.
This comes even as the Kenya Meteorological Department warned of heavy rains of more than 30 millimeters over several parts of the country with the likelihood of flash floods and landslides.
The rains are expected to continue till May 1 with residents living downstream advised to be on the look-out for potential flooding as flood waters may appear where it has not rained heavily.
By Rop Janet
