Kisumu County Confronts Severe Flooding, Over 600 Stranded

Kisumu, Kenya – More than 600 individuals have been stranded due to flooding after the Nyando River overflowed, severely affecting Kisumu County. The floods have inundated homes, businesses, and roads, with the Ahero bridge on the critical Nairobi-Kisumu route submerged, disrupting travel to Nairobi, Kisii, Homa Bay, and Migori.

According to Kenya News Agency, seven villages in the Ombeyi location are underwater, and infrastructure such as the bridge near Homa Lime in Muhoroni Sub-County has been destroyed. Essential services in Ahero, including the police station, a high school, the sub-county hospital, and the market, are isolated by the floodwaters, with the situation worsened by backflow from Lake Victoria. Roads in Muhoroni, Nyakach, Nyando, and Kadibo sub-counties are impassable, complicating rescue operations.

Rescue teams from the Kenya Coast Guard and Kenya Red Cross have been deployed to assist those trapped by the floods. Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o has called on the national government for air support, including the potential involvement of helicopters from the Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Wildlife Service, and Kenya Forest Service, to aid in rescue efforts. Additionally, the county government plans to hire boats to relocate residents to safer areas.

Governor Nyong’o has urged those near the Nyando and Miriu Rivers to relocate due to expected further rises in water levels. The county has distributed relief items valued at approximately 4.8 million shillings to over 15,000 displaced individuals and is coordinating further aid and medical support. An appeal for donations of food and essentials has been made, with a collection center established at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Complex in Kisumu.