Kenya floods displace at least 190,000 people

DW (English)

Authorities in Kenya say at least 171 people have been killed and more than 190,000 displaced by catastrophic flooding. DW's Felix Maringa spoke with those affected, some still searching for their loved ones.

Transcript

00:00 Shattered walls, waters raging, efforts to find the remaining bodies are still ongoing.

00:08 At the shelter, a cloud of sadness on the victims' faces.

00:13 Many are trying to come to terms with the tragedy that has hit their homes.

00:17 Julie's family is in mourning.

00:20 They all fought for their lives and six survived,

00:22 but their three-year-old toddler was carried away by the floods.

00:27 They searched for him everywhere but couldn't find him.

00:30 If I don't find my baby while he's still alive, I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself.

00:35 I'm just praying that God grants me more days to stay with my baby

00:40 because when I remember the struggles we've had and the damage that has taken place in the floods,

00:45 I'm wondering whether God saved his life or what happened to him.

00:49 Julie is thankful that her family found shelter to stay in for the night,

00:54 away from the place where their anguish began.

00:57 She and her husband have fond memories of their three-year-old son, Isaac.

01:02 He marked his birthday on the evening before he was carried away by the floods.

01:06 He was celebrating his third birthday on Sunday evening at 10 o'clock

01:12 and he ate the whole birthday cake alone and he was going to sleep.

01:16 I asked him whether he wanted some tea and he said he just wanted to sleep,

01:20 so I told him, "Happy birthday."

01:23 I hugged and kissed him and he went to bed.

01:26 I didn't know that anything was happening or that the waters were coming towards us.

01:31 Julie is not alone.

01:37 Kenyanju lost his business to the floods.

01:40 His machinery made useless, his cowshed bay covered in mud and wrecked.

01:45 A lot of things have been destroyed in my business.

01:49 I was storing some items for drivers that all got carried away.

01:52 The floods broke in through one side of the building and came out the other,

01:56 carrying away everything that I had in there.

01:58 One of my employees almost got swept away,

02:01 but the security guard was able to save him from being taken by the floods.

02:05 The search and retrieval efforts are still going on.

02:10 Nobody knows how much time it will take to clear the debris.

02:13 Family members are hoping they can get to locate their loved ones

02:17 and have a chance to bury them.

02:20 Kenya's President William Ruto visited the areas devastated by the floods.

02:24 He promised the government would rebuild homes,

02:26 resettle the homeless and get their children back into school.

02:29 But he came with a warning to people living in areas vulnerable to flooding.

02:33 The mapping that has been done on all fragile areas

02:38 that are prone to landslides and flooding,

02:44 we are asking every Kenyan in such areas to leave

02:50 because the forecast is that rain is going to continue

02:54 and the likelihood of flooding and people losing lives is real.

03:00 And therefore, we must take pre-emptive action.

03:04 The President also asked that people remain hopeful even in the middle of the crisis.

03:10 One such person is Julie, who clings to the thought of finding her missing baby.

03:15 I'm hoping that I can get to see him while he's still alive.

03:19 The victims can only hope that this cloud of grief and loss will pass,

03:24 that their lives can go back to normal,

03:26 and that tragedy will stay away from them.

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