Retired Officer Drowns in Siaya Floods

A retired civil servant drowned while tens of families were displaced after floods caused by heavy rains wreaked havoc in Siaya county.
Siaya governor Cornel Rasanga told a media briefing after chairing the County emergency response team that the former Ministry of Water employee drowned along river Mawira in Rarieda Sub County as he tried to cross from Pap Kodero to his home in Pala Kobong village.
The deceased who was a plumber is said to have attempted to cross the seasonal river but was overwhelmed by the raging currents of the river that threw him off balance.
Elsewhere in West Ugenya, the governor said, 20 families have been rendered destitute after river Nzoia burst its banks following a heavy downpour that has pounded the area for the past two days.
He said that the floods have come at a wrong time when the County was struggling to contain a possible outbreak of Coronavirus after a priest who conducted several masses in different parts of Ugunja and Ugenya sub counties tested positive.
“This is an unfortunate situation and we are closely monitoring the effects,” said the governor who was flanked by the Siaya Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Sawe, county police commander, Francis Kooli and the County Executive Committee member for Health and Sanitation, Dorothy Owino.
Rasanga called on the families living along the banks of river Nzoia and other low lying areas to be cautious and seek refuge on higher grounds should water levels keep rising.
He further urged them to maintain high standards of hygiene during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic to avoid contracting and spreading the disease.
The governor called for support from well-wishers and the donor community to help tackle floods, saying that the county government may not manage the situation on its own.
“The floods have come at a time when most of our resources have been channelled towards fighting Coronavirus and we urge wellwishers to come to the aid of our people who are affected by the floods,” he said.
By Philip Onyango.