Number of People Killed and Injured by Floods in Kenya’s
Kenya has had devastating floods that have claimed lives and destroyed property. The most recent data released on Friday by Kenya’s Ministry of Interior is as follows:
- There have been 125 injuries and at least 210 fatalities, including 20 in the last 24 hours.
- Numerous persons are thought to be lost beneath the rubble, out of the ninety who have been reported missing.
- There have been about 3,100 household relocations.
- 1,967 schools have been demolished.
Many persons are missing from the map. A lot of my neighbors are nowhere to be found,” flood survivor Jane Wambui told The Daily Brief.
Many of the people most severely impacted by the flooding reside in unofficial colonies, such as Mathare in Nairobi, where locals have accused the government of ignoring them.
“The administration claims to have increased search and rescue operations and sent out the military and the National Youth Service, but where are they? Where are they now that a week has passed? Here in Mathare, I haven’t seen anyone. Collins Obondo, a Mathare resident, claimed, “Not a single person from the government has come to help us.”
In Kenya, where is the worst of the flooding?
At least 48 people were killed on Monday when a dam broke in the southern Kenyan town of Mai Mahiu.
Mai Mahiu in Nakuru County is located west of Nairobi, the country’s capital, and is predicted to have further intense rainfall, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned on X on Friday.
What is the reason for Kenya’s flooding?
Many Kenyans think that the government’s lack of investment has made the floods worse, even if climate factors like El Nino—the warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface water that results in high rainfall in various regions of the world—have been connected to the rise in rain.
Locals in Mathare attributed the floods to water buildup in poorly maintained, regularly clogged drains.
“This was caused by the state national Railways Corporation,” flood witness Nahason Igeria told Al Jazeera. The tunnel upstream and the culvert downstream were constructed by them. The system’s upkeep ought to fall under their purview.
Human Rights Watch released research on Thursday indicating that the floods had a significant negative impact on low-income neighborhoods like Mathare because of “less solid structures, congestion, and poor sanitation infrastructure.”
The human cost of the climate crisis is starkly reminded by the floods, as per the statement made by Greenpeace Africa Executive Director Oulie Keita. It was mentioned that some of the damage was further exacerbated by misguided development.
In what way has the government of Kenya addressed the floods?
President William Ruto’s administration has mandated the obligatory evacuation of everybody residing within 178 miles of dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties in advance of Cyclone Hidaya.
Ruto announced during his Friday national address that he had instructed the Ministry of Education to defer the start of classes for the second term until later. Many more schools are serving as shelters for people who have been displaced by the floods in addition to the ones that have been demolished since March.
Residents of Mai Mahiu and other informal settlements swamped by floodwaters have criticized Ruto’s approach to managing the floods.
Human Rights Watch noted that despite the Meteorological Department’s May 2018 predictions that Kenya would have more rainfall due to El Nino and that this pattern would last until 2024, the government did nothing.
The government did not provide a plan of action, but it did set aside at least 10 billion Kenyan shillings ($80 million) in anticipation of a national response. In October, it was erroneously stated by Ruto that El Nino rainfall would not be experienced in Kenya, contrary to predictions. predictions.
As of right present, the Meteorological Department predicts that the rain will last until June.
In Other News; Gov’t Spokesperson Warns Against Opening Of Schools Amid Floods
Number of People Killed and Injured by Floods in Kenya’s
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