Families in Nairobi have flocked to the Nairobi Funeral Home and other facilities following the devastating floods on Friday evening, searching for missing loved ones and mourning those who lost their lives.
In Kitengela, relatives are looking for four-year-old Reintaji Amason, who went missing during the floods.
Salome Wambua, a relative, said the family has been visiting hospitals and mortuaries in a desperate attempt to locate the child. She described Reintaji as brown-skinned, with dreadlocks, wearing a grey sweater and beige trousers when he disappeared.
“The child was lost on Friday during the storm. His mother had tied him on her back, but the water overpowered her and they were separated,” she said.
“The child got swept away, but the mother survived. Up to now, we have not seen him. We are asking anyone who has seen the child or knows how to help us to come forward,” she added.
The child’s mother is currently hospitalised at Mama Lucy Hospital following the traumatic incident.
Meanwhile, another family mourns the death of Martin, a bodaboda rider from Eastleigh, who drowned in the same floods.
Ebrahim Wanjala, a relative, said Martin was ferrying a client when he was swept away while trying to rescue his motorcycle, while the client survived. The family has appealed to the government and well-wishers to help cover morgue and burial expenses.
Moris Nzau, a colleague of Martin, called for urgent measures to decongest drainages and improve urban planning, noting that overcrowding of buildings in flood-prone areas contributed to the tragedy.
According to the funeral home, 15 bodies have been identified by families, while eight remain unclaimed. A total of 22 bodies had been received at the facility, 20 from drowning incidents and two from electrocution, with one body reportedly transferred to Chiromo, bringing the total to 23. It has not been confirmed how many bodies were received at other facilities across the city.
Ojiro urged the national and county governments to establish better disaster response systems, including a toll-free hotline for families to report missing persons.
He also called for long-term solutions to address drainage and urban planning challenges, and appealed to humanitarian organisations to provide psychological support and relief supplies to affected families.
As Nairobi continues to recover, the search for Reintaji Amason and other missing persons goes on, with families anxiously hoping for news of their loved ones.
