In the past week, my team and I have been covering the devastating floods affecting parts of Kenya.
During our visit to the Mai Mahiu area, we witnessed the aftermath of a tragic event where approximately 50 people lost their lives in a sudden deluge while they were asleep.
Accompanying rescue workers along the riverbanks, we observed their efforts to clear debris using shovels, rakes, and sticks to navigate through uprooted trees.
At one location, we came across a large pile of broken branches covering a collapsed house, where a family of six had lived. There are fears that they may be trapped beneath the debris.
A bulldozer was called in to assist in clearing the wreckage in hopes of locating the missing family.
Across the river, remnants of a house with corrugated iron roof panels dangling precariously caught our attention. Veronica Karanja, 17, and her father David returned to assess the damage.
Veronica recounted the terrifying night when she was swept away by the water but managed to cling to a tree until the floodwaters receded. However, she couldn’t find her father initially, who had sustained a head injury and lost grip of her 9-year-old brother Paul.
David, now with his arm in a sling, had just returned from the morgue after identifying Paul’s body. The family, who relied on their livestock, lost nearly all of their animals in the flood – 900 hens and 21 pigs washed away, leaving only five remaining.
