This archive report was first published on 26 December 2019.
Heavy rainfall in Kisumu County on December 26, 2019, caused the river Auji to burst its banks, resulting in devastating floods that claimed six lives and displaced thousands of people in Nyanza.
According to reports, two people were swept away by raging waters in fresh floods that ruined the Christmas mood in Kisumu County, raising the death toll to six across Nyanza within just two weeks.
The worst-hit areas included Nyamasaria, Manyatta, and Kibos market centres and their surroundings, where homes were submerged, business premises were destroyed, and trees were uprooted by a raging storm.
At Nyamasaria market centre, traders arrived to find their shops filled with water and their wares swept away by raging floods. A shopkeeper, Maryane Akwany, was left stranded, saying, 'I am stranded. All my goods are gone,' as tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Kisumu County Commissioner Susan Waweru confirmed that they had received reports of death and massive destruction of property following the disaster, adding that her officers were on the ground to verify the reports and coordinate intervention measures.
Meanwhile, in Homa Bay County, over 2,500 people displaced by floods were facing a humanitarian crisis at the Osodo Primary School, where they ran out of food. The County government had promised Sh 2m worth of food, but it had yet to be delivered.
Inside the camp, there were reports of malaria outbreak, with 17 pregnant mothers, old men and women, and the sick among the residents. Juliet Akoth, a victim, said, 'We live by the grace of God. All was well until the floods destroyed all we had at home three weeks ago, we camped here but the situation is getting worse each day.'
The camp manager, Kennedy Ochola, reported that the camp had newborn babies who were up to three weeks old, yet there were no drugs available. The nearest health facility, Osodo Dispensary, was about five kilometers away, but it had no power due to uncontrolled sand harvesting in the area.
