The strong dust storm that hit parts of the country last Tuesday claimed the life of a middle-aged woman from Ongata-Rongai, Kajiado County after she was electrocuted by a fallen live power line.
According to her neighbors, heavy winds that rocked the area fell down electricity poles on top of her house and when the woman arrived at her house late at night she got electrocuted as she got inside.
“She came late in the evening from work and went to her house upstairs oblivious of the live electricity poles which had fallen on top of the roof. She got electrocuted immediately she held the metal bars on the staircase,” a neighbor said.
Area Sub-county Police Commander Joseph Mwika confirmed the incident, and appealed to residents to be more vigilant at this time where most areas may experience rainfall as well as windstorms.
“A young woman has been electrocuted at her home in Ongata Rongai after she leaned on the staircase. The whole house is made of iron sheets and electricity poles had fallen on top of the house when strong winds blew yesterday evening,” said Mwika.
Several parts of the country were on Tuesday, October 1, hit with heavy wind storms that tore various structures and trees. The wind storm brought traffic to a standstill on several major roads due to poor visibility.
Areas of Ilbisil, Kajiado, Ongata Rongai, Kiserian, Corner Baridi, as well as Kitengela experienced power outages for much of Tuesday evening.
Billboards and property were also destroyed by the strong winds and dust whose speed, the meteorological department, said was 20 meters per second.
The Department said what the country was experiencing was a deep convectional system due to localized storm caused by unstable atmosphere and marks the start of short rains.
“What we are experiencing is a deep convectional system in the southern section of Kenya. This system is moving from the Coastal Kenya as it propagates inland toward South East low lands, Nairobi and Central parts of Kenya,” The department through its official Twitter handle explained.
By Rop Janet and Albert lemomo
