By Antony Gitonga
NAIVASHA, KENYA: Motorists using the Nairobi-Nakuru highway have been placed on high alert after River Malewa in Naivasha burst its banks spilling its waters on the busy highway.
There were fears that the bridge that connects Naivasha and Nakuru could have been washed away as the water levels continued to rise sharply flooding nearby farms.
This came as the nearby Nairobi-Nakuru railway line in Naivasha was closed as the waters flooded a cross-over adversely affecting transport system on the line.
And in the nearby KCC village, over 50 families were ordered to vacate after the waters threatened to wash away their houses.
The flooding occurred after one of the biggest dam in Kinangop Nyandurua County burst its bank spilling millions of litres into the river.
Livestock and farm produce were washed by the gushing waters as fears rose on the fate of the Malewa Bridge which had started to develop cracks.
Speaking on phone, Naivasha OCPD Charles Kortok said that they were monitoring the situation closely and could divert traffic if the water levels rose further.
“We are asking motorists to be careful when crossing this section of the road and we could be forced to divert traffic if the situation doesn’t change,” he said.
An officer from Kenya Railway Francis Kamau termed the rail cross-over as dangerous adding that he had sent a message to the headquarters to cancel the use of the line that heads to Kisumu.
“The waters are currently flowing above the cross-over and we have advised our headquarters to stop the use of this section of the railway line until the water levels subside,” he said.
