6 People Missing, Others Spend Night On Rooftops As Floods Hit Mathare

 

Nearly six residents of Mathare North, Nairobi County, have been reported missing as a result of heavy rains that have flooded their homes.

The heavy rains that fell on Tuesday night forced other residents to flee their homes and seek refuge on rooftops.

According to George Aguko, the houses began flooding at 2 a.m., when flood water from the Nairobi River entered their homes.

Aguko claims that they attempted to contact the Kenya Red Cross and the County Government, but received no response on the available helplines.

“I reached out to the Kenya police in Ruaraka, they contacted me in the morning after we got exhausted from calling,” Aguko says. 

“All those rescue teams that we are advised to call in case of such an incident ignored our calls. People have started getting out of rooftops because the floods are subsiding. There are people who are trapped in the houses,” he added. 

Residents also report that power lines in the area are submerged in water.

At press time, teams from the Kenya Red Cross and Nairobi County Response had arrived in Mathare to lead the rescue efforts.


According to Starahe Sub County Police Commander Fred Abuga, the rescue team is already on the ground combing the area.