Flood Heroes: Celebrating extraordinary Kenyans helping fellow citizens in distress
Hanifa Adan, a well-wisher, stands next to donations from supporters at Ambassadors Nairobi on May 4, 2024, The aid is for victims of the ongoing flooding in parts of Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- In the wake of the floods that ravaged Kamuchiri and Jerusalem villages in Maai Mahiu, Nakuru County, residents showed a remarkable spirit of unity, compassion and resilience.
- At Ngeya Girls Secondary School, which has been transformed into a disaster centre and home for affected families, kindness and generosity abound.
In the face of challenges and weather hazards, President William Ruto talked of “our nation has never failed” during his address to the Nationon Friday.
He said Kenyans always stand with one another and work together to overcome adversity.
“The government appreciates the goodwill demonstrated by thousands of individuals and institutional volunteers who have made tremendous input into alleviating the suffering and pain of those affected by the prevailing crisis,” the President said.
Thousands of Kenyans, even before this admission, were going out of their way to help.
Ms Hanifa Adan was gathering news and documenting the tragedy of the downpours in Mathare, Nairobi.
The magnitude of the devastation she witnessed was so immense that the journalist launched a fundsdrive to help the affected families.
The uncertainty on the faces of the families whose belongings and part of their lives had gone with the water remained with Ms Adan long after she left Mathare.
“I saw many homeless people. They were worried and needed urgent assistance to get back to their lives,” she told the Sunday Nation.
“I promised to do all I could to assist them.”
The image of an elderly man crying haunted the journalist.
Scores of other faces bore the same features of dejection, despair and destitution.
On that night, the floodwater had marooned the shacks that most families in Mathare call home. The water had risen to dangerous levels.
Since Ms Adan launched the fundsdrive, many individuals and organisations have sent in donations, which she is using to buy food and non-food items and distributing to the affected communities in Nairobi.
Ghetto Farmers Mathare (GHM), a collection of slum residents whose focus is rehabilitating River Nairobi, planted bamboo that “literally saved lives during these ongoing floods”.
“The community has suffered tremendous loss and needs your support,” posted Green Belt Movement on X (formerly Twitter).
“The community is shaken but not broken. They know they will have to rebuild away from riparian land, not only because of government directives. Because of climate change, the floods will return and with more intensity.”
Before the floods, Pankaj Foundation fed 30,000 pupils daily.
A woman with baby wades through a flooded path on her way to the hospital in Bombolulu, Mombasa County following heavy rains on November 16, 2023.
But schools have not reopened for second term and Mr Pankaj Shah and his team are providing assistance to at least 20,000 families.
He distributes food and non-food items to families in Mukuru, Mathare and other areas in Nairobi where the heavy rain has destroyed livelihoods.
Mr Shah also sent aid to Maasai Mara where lodges and hotels were submerged when River Telek burst its banks.
The philanthropist, who was motivated to help the less fortunate members of society by Mother Teresa, said his team would distribute food, mattresses and other items to victims of flood in Nairobi during the weekend.
Flash floods caused devastation in Kaksingri West Ward on April 28, catching residents unawares.
There were no warnings or signs. It took minutes for Sindo town to be marooned by water.
Everything in the way of the water – including livestock and people – was swept away and discharged into Lake Victoria.
There was nothing residents could do to save their property. Saving lives was the only option.
But as hundreds fled, one man headed to the danger zone.
Mr Samuel Omondi, 33, is the Kenya Red Cross Homa Bay County Coordinator and is accustomed to responding to disasters.
His work involves ensuring everyone is safe – or at least rescued during floods and other calamities.
He has worked with the humanitarian agency since 2014.
The last few days have, however, been very busy as Mr Omondi traverses the country helping households in dire need of assistance.
“The Kenya Red Cross has an emergency call centre in Nairobi where all information is gathered. County coordinators are then informed before they act,” he said.
Mr Omondi has been at the heart of disasters and tragedies in the region.
However, he adds, the flash floods in Sindo will forever remain in his mind.
The Red Cross worker witnessed houses being washed into Lake Victoria.
Four people, including three members of the same family, died on that day.
When the water level fell, Mr Omondi and his team began searching for survivors in destroyed homesteads.
They came across houses that had been flattened by boulders.
“We also bumped into a man stuck on a tree. We had to take him down,” Mr Omondi said.
The man had lost three children and clinging on the tree was the only way he could save his life.
“We then came across the bodies of the children in mud. They were taken to the mortuary,” he said.
His family, he said, knows he can be summoned any time.
“They usually pray for my safety when I go to a disaster zone,” he said.
In the wake of the floods that ravaged Kamuchiri and Jerusalem villages in Maai Mahiu, Nakuru County, residents showed a remarkable spirit of unity, compassion and resilience.
People at the scene in Mai Mahiu where the Old Kijabe dam burst on April 29, 2024.
Despite the loss of close to 100 lives and dozens of locals still missing, the community has shown solidarity in the face of adversity.
Volunteer efforts have been instrumental in supporting those affected by the disaster, providing assistance to grieving families, the injured and those traumatised.
From volunteer programmes to mental health support, the community has rallied together to aid in recovery efforts and search operations downstream.
At Ngeya Girls Secondary School, which has been transformed into a disaster centre and home for affected families, kindness and generosity abound.
Well-wishers flock the centre with food, clothes, bedding and other donations.
Officers from different agencies converge at Ngeya Girls secondary school to receive victims of flooding on May 1, 2024.
The well-wishers offer solace to those displaced by the tragedy.
A group of volunteers is providing play therapy for traumatised children. They play piano and board games like scrabble.
“Our team thought of helping children affected by the tragedy. We came up with the idea of sport and play,” said Joseph Mwaura who leads the team engaging with the children.
“That is why we are here. This is our Day One and we hope to be here for four more days.”
For Mr Mwaura and his team, play is not just a pastime but a vital tool for healing and recovery.
He said the children whose lives have been scarred forever need play as a form of healing.
Ms Naomi Njeri Karanja left her family to prepare meals for the affected families at Ngeya Girls Secondary School.
She has in the last few days been arriving at the centre as early as 7am.
With other volunteers, Ms Karanja prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner for the displaced families.
She has been leaving the school at 8pm since Monday.
Additional Reporting George Odiwuor
