Bernard Kwalia and Barnabas Bii

8 September 2010

Nairobi — Mzee Joseph Malesi, 80, and his family are a happy lot after they were rescued from raging waters in Kwanza on Wednesday.

"Thank God we are alive and for the people who came to our rescue. We had considered ourselves dead," Mr Malesi said.

"We went to sleep only to wake up the following day with the house completely flooded with no way to escape," he said.

Mzee Malesi could not hide his joy after spending four sleepless nights on the roof of his house with his wife Alice, 53, three daughters and four granddaughters, surviving on raw green maize. The family was rescued by traditional divers from his Sabwani village.

Warned families

He appealed to the government to desilt dams in the area and clear drainages to avoid flooding. Alternatively, the villagers could be relocated as the area is affected by the floods every year. Kwanza security team led by district officer Mohammed Yusuf and police boss Peter Njoroge went to the area at the weekend but were unable to reach the family.

On Wednesday, the team, with the help of the community divers, went back and rescued the family. Kenya Red Cross Society North Rift regional manager Patrick Nyongesa warned families to vacate the area or they would be swept away. He said if the rains continued, about 700 families in Marinda, Sabwani and Namanjalala areas would be displaced.

Mr Nyongesa, who was accompanied by the deputy coordinator of the national crisis response centre, Mr Koitamet Olekina warned of an upsurge of malaria and water-borne diseases if the heavy rains persisted and urged residents to observe hygiene.

Mr Nyongesa said the Red Cross would work with the government to ensure that victims were protected from diseases. The Red Cross donated blankets, tents, jerricans, bars of soap and mosquito nets.

The death toll from the flooding reached two yesterday after a student drowned in West Pokot District. The Kapenguria Boys Secondary School student was swept away as he attempted to cross the flooded River Swam.

"The student was returning home from Kanyerus market on the border with Uganda where he had gone to sell a cow when he was swept away by the floods," West Pokot police boss David Wambua said.

Search for body

He said a search for the body had been launched. More than 800 families have been displaced in the North Rift and South Rift regions.

The Kenya Red Cross Society yesterday distributed relief supplies to displaced families in Trans Nzoia District. "Public health officials have been sent to teach affected families how to prevent contracting water-borne diseases," Red Cross communications manager Titus Mung'ou said.

But post-election violence victims in satellite camps said they were afraid of contracting diseases due to poor hygiene. "The government should provide us with tents and clean water to avert an outbreak of diseases," said Ms Mary Wangare from Rurigi.The IDPs said they had not returned to their farms due to delays by the government in providing them with materials to rebuild their houses.