Kenya: 237 people lost lives due to floods across the country, says Cabinet Secretary

Devolution Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Eugene Wamalwa said that at least 237 people have lost their lives due to floods across the country, according to a news report by Daily Nation.

Giving an update on the effects of the ongoing floods, after making an aerial survey of Lake Naivasha on Wednesday, May 12, Wamalwa said many people have been displaced.

The Cabinet Secretary has appealed to the people living in flood-prone areas to relocate because more rains are expected in the months of May and June.

"Several rives are swollen and likely to burst their banks, displacing those living in the edges," Wamalwa said.

He noted that water levels in Lake Naivasha have risen to unprecedented levels, affecting nearly 18,000 people who live in the sprawling Kihoto estate.

 Wamalwa said water levels in lakes across the country have significantly increased. He cited Lake Victoria whose water level, he said is at the highest to have recorded been since 1958.

The Cabinet Secretary has promised humanitarian assistance to the affected families and government support.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko, who accompanied Wamalwa, regretted the encroachment of riparian land in Nakuru.

"We have also witnessed the destruction of the catchment areas that have led to the increase in water velocity, occasioning the current destruction," he said.

He said a team that will include officials from his ministry will in the coming weeks deliberate on measures to be taken especially on encroachment of areas around the lake.