By The Weekly Vision Team
Popular TV comedian Eric Omondi became the man of the moment when he arranged boat rides to rescue several residents marooned in flood waters in Nairobi, many of whom were unable to reach their residences. Property across the country was swept away in heavy floods, with at least 4,000 animals drowning in the last three days, while several people were reported dead or missing in Nairobi.
ODM party leader Raila Odinga has called on the government to declare the ongoing floods a national disaster. He said that the ongoing rains are increasing by the day, adding that the disaster will be worse if not addressed immediately. He urged the government to move expeditiously to mobilize all the national resources available to avert further losses.
At least 23 counties, including Nairobi, face a serious risk to life and property over the heavy rains, with areas like Kibera, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Mathare North, and Kariobangi South having been badly marooned with floods sweeping away some of the informal settlements, leaving families in the cold, including children.
Elsewhere, NGO Council of Kenya chairman Stephen Cheboi said the situation following the heavy rains had become a national emergency and appealed to the National Disaster Emergency Fund to deploy resources and manpower in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross and other relief agencies to save lives and property. Mr Cheboi said that far from what Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had been assuring that Nairobi was ready for the heavy rains that have pounded the city for 72 hours, the city is ill-prepared due to most drainage being blocked or nonexistent.
“While current works on re-carpeting streets and expanding pavements were a step in the right direction, the timing was wrong,” he said, urging the city planning and inspectorate officers to stop armchair management and deploy fire engines to drain the huge volume of water that has filled some homes in South C, South B, and Syokimau.
City residents praised the solo efforts of comedian Erick Omondi, who offered to rescue trapped residents to safe areas in his boat without charging a penny! In Nyatike, floods wreaked havoc as Lake Victoria waters pushed inland, displacing hundreds of people and their property.
