Kenya Red Cross team conduct operations in Elgeyo-Markwet following a landslide. Photo/Red Cross
According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, search and rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams try to navigate mudslides that have rendered key access roads impassable.
So far, 19 survivors have been rescued and several others injured are receiving treatment at Chesongoch Mission Hospital. The Kapsowar–Chesoi Road has also been completely cut off, complicating rescue efforts as the government deploys aerial support and first responders to assist with evacuation, medical care, and surveillance in the affected areas.
In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy drowned after being swept away by floodwaters along River Obonyo in Kapounja, Kisumu West Sub-county.
Flooding has also hit other parts of the country, such as Tana River County, where 67 households were submerged in Dhuhush, Lebille, Bultobanta, and Bangale, with at least 170 sheep and goats and one camel reported dead. In Garissa County, about 300 goats have been lost to flash floods in the Gutho area of Shimbirey Location.
In Kisumu Central and East sub-counties, more than 340 households in Kaputhe, Nanga, Dunga, Onjweru, Kanyawade, Kaloo, Kodie, Alar, and Kowuore were displaced, while in Laikipia County, 89 households around Lobere Dam were forced to evacuate after multiple dams overflowed following heavy overnight rain.
Meanwhile, in Mombasa, localized flooding in the Mburukenge and Kaa Chonjo informal settlements was linked to incomplete drainage and stormwater management projects.
The ministry echoed the Kenya Meteorological Department’s forecast, warning that heavy rainfall is expected to persist across several regions, heightening the risk of flash floods and landslides, especially in hilly and riverine areas.
A multi-agency response team comprising the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs), the National Police Service, the Kenya Red Cross, and other government agencies is coordinating relief, evacuation, and humanitarian efforts across affected counties.
The Ministry appealed to members of the public to exercise extreme caution, avoid flooded roads and rivers, and relocate from slopes and low-lying areas prone to landslides.
"We also advise wananchi to follow official updates from the Kenya Meteorological Department, the Ministry of Interior, and County Disaster Units to avert potential danger and ensure their safety during this period," the statement read in part. By Brian Kimani, Citizen Digital