Mandera floods displace thousands, destroy crops and infrastructure

A section of Dariqa residents tests the level of floods after their village is submerged. [Ibrahim Adan Ali, Standard]

Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in Mandera county, affecting over 5,000 people and destroying their sources of livelihoods.

The floods have also submerged local schools, hospitals, and roads, hampering service delivery and access to markets.

The county boss for Kenya Red Cross said Mandera South and Lafey subcounties also need immediate attention as the rains increase in those areas.

According to Khalalio MCA in Mandera East Mohamed Noor Yussuf, Dariqa location alone submerged and flooded over 250 households.

"As a local leader, I have exhausted all available means to evacuate 250 families in Dariqa location. We appeal for more support from the government and well wishers before death cases occur," lamented the MCA.

Locals fear breakout of waterborne diseases as the rains increase in the village and the displaced are struggling to survive through the situation.

Mandera governor Mohamed Kalif pledged that his administration will support all the affected families with sanitation products and assorted food stuffs to cope with the situation.

Keep Reading

How to strengthen public health amid heavy rains

"To the 5,000 people affected by floods we will provide food, non-food items, animal vaccines, and sanitation products to help prevent waterborne diseases," said Kalif.

Governor Kalif lamented, "These floods have submerged local schools in Elwak Town, hindering the education of our students, and have also disrupted the operations of vital local institutions, including hospitals, affecting service provision."

The county Women Representative Umulkher Kassim who visited some farms in Mandera East said sources of livelihoods have been affected due to poor road networks that have been cut off.

"Approximately 9,000 irrigated farmland from BP1 to Malkamari were affected by river floods and this has a great impact on our crops," said Kassim.

Some of the families affected by the river Daua floods return to their homes with non-food items donated by the Kenya Red Cross.. [Ibrahim Adan Ali, Standard]

Accessibility to the markets across the subcounties has also experienced low supply of food commodities as roads are impassable.

Hundreds of lorries and trucks carrying assorted livelihood items are stuck at Kotulo as the only bridge at the entry point into the county has been submerged.