Evangelists and former presidential aspirant Reuben Kigame has called on the government to declare floods a national disaster.
The preacher and gospel singer said floods have claimed a lot of lives and led to destruction of property, events he said have now become national disasters.
“We have lost around 200 Kenyans to flooding. The floods are a national disaster. We should all agree that we have a national crisis,” he said.
“We should all have hands on deck to deal with it. We need to rescue lives, move populations, we need to rescue properties.”
On Tuesday, President William Ruto said the heavy rains that have resulted in floods have so far claimed the lives of over 170 Kenyans.
The latest incident happened in Old Kijabe town when walls of an old railway tunnel filled up with water, broke Monday morning, spilling water to neighbouring villages downsream.
Tens of people were killed and scores are still missing after the tragedy that also befell an Easy Coach bus leaving about 20 passengers unaccounted for.
President William Ruto visited the site on Tuesday and condoled with the bereaved families.
He said the military will join other rescuers in the search for missing persons following the tragedy in Mai Mahiu.
The President said the National Youth Service has been on the ground to collaborate with the police in rescue efforts.
“They have done a big part but where it has reached it needs a joint effort,” he said.
“I have talked with the military to join the other rescuers today to help in the search for the missing persons.”
Ruto said after consultation with the Cabinet Tuesday morning, they agreed on several interventions to help flood victims.
“Losing over 170 people is not a small thing and we must take action to make sure that Kenyans are safe,” Ruto said.
He promised to compensate victims of the Mai Mahiu tragedy who lost their livelihoods.
According to officials, the Monday morning Mai Mahiu incident left a trail of destruction in the area.
Officials said a blocked railway drainage accumulated water before its wall burst.
The area had experienced heavy rains on Sunday in the upper sides of Kinale.
“In the current unusual rains, the ‘Dark Tunnel’ – the railway line drainage at Old Kijabe- blocked leading to disastrous accumulation of water that broke the wall causing floods earlier today (Monday).”
“This has caused loss of lives and adversely affected Old Kijabe and Mai Mahiu and its environs,” executive director of Kijabe Hospital, Chege Macharia, said.
The hospital is near the place where the drainage had blocked and accumulated water.
Water Resources Management Authority (Warma) also said the water came from a water-filled gulley in Kiambu county that flowed down to Naivasha Subcounty and not from a dam.
