Mombasa County to forcefully evacuate residents in flood-prone areas

A motorist on a flooded road in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

Residents living in flood-prone areas in Mombasa County will be forcefully moved to safer places ahead of the El Niño rains, Governor Abdulswamand Nassir has said.

Nassir said the government will not wait for disaster to happen if those in the affected areas do not voluntarily move to safer places.

Speaking after a meeting with representatives of multi-state agencies over the preparation for the El Niño rain, the governor identified Bombolulu, Mtopanga, Junda and Tudor’s Kaa Chonjo as flood-prone areas.

"We are still doing mapping of the areas with the help of assistant chiefs and village elders to ensure nobody will fall victim to floods during the El Niño in Mombasa," he said.

Nassir was accompanied by Kenya Navy officers, senior police officers in the county and Mombasa County Mohamed Noor.

During the meeting, the residents were asked to be on high alert during the El Niño rains to avoid being swept away by the floods.

The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the current El Niño phenomenon could be the strongest in 40 years because the weather trajectories are off charts since they began recording it.

They have warned that the El Nino rain,which is expected to begin in October, will likely persist through February 2027.

Areas expected to receive heavy rainfall include western Kenya, the Rift Valley, particularly in Baringo, and the West Pokot coastal belt, Garisa and the Tana River. Tana River will experience heavy rainfall and floodwater from the highlands.

Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, have been flagged as hot spots for flash floods because of poor drainage.

The Mombasa governor advised the residents to fix their roofs, rusted ridges and broken tiles.

Nassir said since it has been predicted that rainfall will be 600 mm, which has never been witnessed since 1906, there was a need to clear trenches, culverts and other blockades which could stop the flood from flowing to the ocean.

Junda residents have asked the government to place rubber boats on standby at Kikwete, where the seasonal river flows into the ocean, which always cuts off the residents from town.

Mombasa County executive in charge of transport and disaster Dan Manyala said among the areas which face forceful eviction are Moroto, where the residents are living, and areas prone to landslides.

The residents' living areas prone to landslides in the town will be evicted at any time before the rain starts.

In Kilifi, the residents living along River Sabaki from Jolore to Sabaki Bridge are worried that their farms will be washed away, as they expect high floods from upcountry.