Due to flooding, a number of schools remain closed
Due to flooding, a number of schools remain closed
Due to flooding, a number of schools remain closed
The reopening of hundreds of flood-affected schools is surrounded by uncertainty.
President William Ruto ordered at least 2,155 flood-damaged schools to reopen for the second term, but on May 13, they did not.
Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, had previously stated that Kisumu, Tana River, and Homa Bay counties held the majority of the impacted schools. He stated that in order to make sure students don’t lose out, alternate solutions are being investigated.
Two weeks after classes resumed, The Standard conducted a spot check and found that several of them are still underwater. There are concerns regarding the government’s commitment to guaranteeing that all schools reopen in certain places where flood victims are still camped out in some schools.
Two weeks later, at least nine schools in Budalang’i, Busia, have yet to reopen. These are the primary schools at Maduwa, Runyu, Bulwani, Musaa, and Musoma. The others include the still-inaccessible Rugunga Primary, Budala, and Musoma Secondary Schools.
Flood victims were still using Modi and Kabuto Primary Schools as camping areas as of last week. Bunyala South residents are still suffering from the floods’ aftermath since it is difficult to get food and other necessities.
Mabinju village resident Faith Oundo said it’s getting harder to get necessities like food these days. Since we are still counting the losses from the floods that destroyed our fields and homes, access to basic necessities and medical care is difficult in this area. We worry that a lack of supply and store closures could result in higher prices,” she stated.
Makere Primary School in the Galole Constituency washed into the River Tana, forcing students to study under trees. Area MP Said Hiribae announced that he has made a request for funding to rebuild the elementary schools in Makere, Ndura, and Nyangwani, as well as the high schools in Chanani and Hola Township.
According to his estimation, Tana River County will need to spend Sh3.1 billion to replace or fix its flood-damaged schools. He declared, “At least 3,000 students have not reported to school, and those who have are learning in appalling conditions.”
Malindi-Lamu road in Gamba, Tana River County, was destroyed, requiring travelers to use boats to traverse the flooded section. This is in Lamu County.
During a tour to the region last week, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the damage had resulted in enormous losses. Flood victims who are camped out at Ombaka Primary School in Kisumu County depend on kindhearted people to provide them with necessities like food and personal items.
Additionally, they must share the school with students, which worries both teachers and students. Stephen Odhiambo, the Western Regional Manager for Rana Auto Selections, gave food donations to the school and stated that victims have to be helped to return home. If resettled, he said, the victims will have to fend for themselves.
“It’s important for us to continue supporting our people here with foodstuffs. However, we need to see how they can get out of this place where they are forced to coexist with learners,” Odhiambo said.
At least 10 people perished in Migori County. Areas worst hit are Nyora, Kabuto, Sere, Angugo, Aneko, Modi, Konyangp and Misiwi in Nyatike Constituency.
Migori County Environment Executive Caleb Opondi said the floods damaged properties and infrastructure, crops, poor school attendance and disrupted learning since schools acted as evacuation centers.
In Uriri, there have also been reports of landslides that have harmed farmers and uprooted people. Mr. Opondi estimates that 500 persons in the county were impacted.
Key rivers like the Tana and Sabaki rivers surged and burst their banks after severe downpours upstream in places like Nairobi, Central, and even Tanzania, even though the Coast did not receive any significant rainfall.
Irene Munyoki, Deputy County Commissioner for Malindi, reported that agricultural assets, like as irrigation equipment, have sustained damage. “There are significant losses. In a phone call, Ms. Munyoki stated, “The most affected crops are maize, okra, pigweed, cassava, coconut trees, and tomatoes are underwater.”
She said irrigation schemes in Garashi, Lukole, Katsangani, Paziani, Goshi, Mongotini, and Madunguni have been destroyed by flooding, sparking fears of a food crisis.
Humanitarian agencies like the Kenya Red Cross Society said more than 29,000 households in Kilifi who engage in subsistence farming have been displaced and their crops destroyed by floods.
Ms Dama Khonde, a resident of Garashi said she lost five acres of maize after the river broke its banks and swept through her farm in Magarini.
“The worst floods in a decade have buried my 5-acre farm in Garashi Village, Magarini Sub-County, which I invested over Sh20,000 to prepare and plant maize on,” the woman claimed.
Winds that swept the Coast, damaging coconut, cashew nut, and mango trees in Malindi, Magarni, and Mtwapa, were attributed by the meteorological agency to Cyclone Hidaya. Governor Gideon Mung’aro of Kilifi has unveiled a strategy to assist individuals impacted by flooding. According to the governor, a team has been sent to determine the extent of the damage.
