The death toll now stands at 257

The death toll from flood-related incidents has risen to 257, losing 19 more people in the last 24 hours.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said 14 adults and five children died in the last 24 hours.

He said the number of people affected by the rains now stands at 293,661, while 54,837 households have been displaced.

Mwaura said another 188 people were injured.

“We are equally saddened by the rising death toll and send our sincere condolences to the affected families,” Mwaura said.

He said infrastructure has been severely affected with significant damage to railway lines and numerous roads now impassable.

Mwaura revealed that in the meantime, the government is mobilizing almost Sh4 billion to support recovery and relief efforts and emphasized the government’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and properties of all affected Kenyans.

Mwaura said health services have also been severely affected, with 61 health facilities compromised in 11 counties.

As a result, he said 44 cases of cholera have been reported so far in Tana River and Marsabit counties, where Ministry of Health and Red Cross officials are carrying out outreach programs to stop the spread of the outbreak.

“In response to the crisis, the government is actively implementing waterborne disease control initiatives, including efforts to manage cholera outbreaks,” Mwaura said during a press conference at Nyayo House.

The spokesperson said ongoing repairs to damaged infrastructure are expected to continue until the end of May.

He said the government is working on critical sections of roads to restore travel safety where roads have been damaged by overflows and water outages.

“In the meantime, we advise all road users to exercise caution when using the roads, especially in Nairobi and urban areas,” Mwaura said.

He said most of the damage to road infrastructure occurred in Nyanza, West, Coast, Rift Valley and East regions.

The government spokesperson also revealed that 198 dams have been identified as high risk after a national assessment.

He said that various evacuations are being carried out in the affected regions following a presidential directive issued on May 2, 2024.

“However, we advise all Kenyans to stay safe and respect weather forecasts and evacuation advisories provided by the government and other agencies,” Mwaura said.

On Wednesday, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki posted Friday, May 10 as a public holiday. for the purposes of tree growing activities throughout the country.

He said the day will also be celebrated in solidarity with all those who have been affected by the “cyclical floods and subsequent droughts in recent times”.

“Recognising that the effects of climate change pose an existential threat to Kenya’s national security, public safety and ecological sustainability (and) recognizing that tree farming is the only long-term solution to the climate crisis and its devastating effects in life and livelihoods.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 3 of the Law on Public Holidays, I declare Friday, May 10, 2024 as a public holiday for the purposes of tree growing activities throughout the country,” Kindiki said in the bulletin.

While speaking at State House in Nairobi, President William Ruto said the meteorological department said the ongoing rains will have eased by next week.

Following this advice, the President announced that schools will reopen on Monday, April 13.

Schools were due to reopen on April 29, but the Ministry of Education postponed it due to the flood crisis.

“Now, based on the assessment of weather experts and the government, all parents are informed that it is safe for our children to return to school,” Ruto said.

The President said the government will release funds to the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for the rehabilitation of schools that have been damaged by floods.