Three killed by new wave of floods in Nairobi

At least three people were killed and four others injured following heavy rains in Nairobi on Tuesday night.

Dozens of vehicles were damaged following the rains that poured for over three hours. Police said the deceased included a woman and her three-year-old son, who were swept away by raging floods in Kayole and an eight-year-old boy who was killed in Baba Dogo area. Kayole OCPD Ali Nuno said the bodies of the mother and child were later retrieved.

“We suspect they tried to cross on foot when they were swept away and drowned. There were also massive damages,” said Nuno. The bodies were later moved to the mortuary. The rains led to heavy traffic jam on major roads in the city that lasted past midnight. The rains poured at a time when President Kenyatta was arriving from Khartoum, Sudan where he had attended the inauguration of re-elected President Omar Bashir.

The movement of the presidential motorcade, accompanied by his deputy William Ruto and a number of Cabinet Secretaries and security commanders from the airport to the Central Business District, led to closure of some major roads, which in turn caused a heavy traffic jam especially on Mombasa Road.

“Some motorists arrived home as late as 1 am. The jam was heavy and some cars stalled on the road,” said an officer involved in operations to save the situation. The downpour led to flooding on major roads, which affected traffic flow. Nairobi Traffic Commandant Edward Mwamburi said most drainage systems on the road were better.

“Unlike in the past when we had heavy flooding, this time round the engineers have done better work,” said Mwamburi. The rains started at about 6pm and lasted for close to six hours. Residents of major slums of Kibera, Mukuru and Mathare were also affected and some were displaced.