Pain as families identify bodies of kin swept by raging waters

A destroyed car in Kamucira village in Mai Mahiu was swept away by the raging waters of the Kijabe Dam on April 30, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Screams rent the air as residents came face to face with the magnitude of the Mai Mahiu flooding tragedy.

Families were inconsolable as they converged at Ngeya Secondary School for counselling and tracing of loved ones.

Nearby, tens of youths led by National Youth Service (NYS) servicemen and Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) volunteers waded through the mud in search of bodies as the death toll hit 48.

Yesterday, the rescue team recovered two bodies, including that of a girl. A few kilometres away at Ume private mortuary, families converged to identify bodies of their kin following the Monday morning tragedy.

Some were overwhelmed and fainted while others went down on their knees and sought solace from the heavens.

At Mai Mahiu Police Station, families whose kin had boarded an ill-fated Easy Coach bus were seeking information on the passengers after some were reported missing.

In the secondary school where the victims are camping, the family of Tabitha Wanja is inconsolable after losing eight kin in the flash flood.

The family had converged at their mother’s home to raise funds for a relative held at Naivasha Remand Prison.

Wanja’s brother has been in remand for the last five months for assault and the complainant wanted Sh50,000 as compensation to withdraw the case.

What was meant to be a productive and interactive evening would end in tears for the family after the floods killed eight people and left two, including their mother, nursing injuries in hospital.

Wanja, who missed the meeting, said that they lost six adults and two minors, including two sisters, nieces and nephews.

“Our extended family had met in my mother’s house to raise funds for my brother who is in remand but we are now planning for their burial,” she said.

She said that among those who died in the tragedy were her two nieces whose mother is in Saudi Arabia.

“My mother and one sister are in hospital and they are not aware of what happened. All our personal belongings were swept away, including the house.

Residents overwhelmed by emotions after Old Kijabe Dam collapsed killing over 48 people. [AFP]

“Our brother who is in prison has lost his wife and son while my sister who is in Saudi Arabia has lost her only two children and we don’t know how to tell them,” she said.

Wanja’s younger sister Virginia Wamaitha who had attended the family gathering narrated how her two-year-old girl was snatched from her hands by the raging waters.

“We had met with a view of selling any personal items so that we could raise money to bring home our brother,” she said amid tears.

Wamaitha termed the evening as fun as they exchanged ideas before sharing dinner which would painfully be the last for the family.

“We had one of the most enjoyable dinner with our family members before retreating to bed only to be woken by a loud sound before our house was filled with water,” she said.

What followed was horror, as the family screamed as the house was swept away by the floods.

Wamaitha said they were rescued after being swept away for more than 200 metres before landing on a tree trunk where they stayed for over two hours before help came.

“The body of my daughter has been recovered. One of those who died was my brother’s wife and we don’t know where she hails from and we cannot inform the parents,” she said.

John Kubai who lost his mother-in-law, a sister and niece said that they were still coming to terms with the tragedy. Kubai said they visited the private mortuary where they identified the three bodies. He regretted that what used to be his rural home was no more.

“After the incident, we received calls from neighbours and we tried calling our parents in vain only to learn that the bodies had been recovered,” he said.

An aerial view of the scene where a dam burst its banks sweeping through the village in Mahi Mahiu, Nakuru County. [Joseph Kipsang, Standard]

A mason, Julius Mungai, recounted how they were woken up by the floods, saying that it was through the grace of God that they survived.

Mungai said that at first, he thought he was dreaming as neighbours’ screams rent the air as the water swept everything on its path.

“I was woken by my wife who said that there was a queer sound coming from the hills. I managed to save my three children before our house was swept away,” he said.

Joseph Waigwa has been on the forefront in rescuing those trapped.

Known for championing for rights of the poor in the area, Waigwa, better known as ‘Jose wa KDF’, managed to mobilise tens of youths and rescue more than 20 people.

“I live on the other side of the town and on receiving a distress call, I engaged a few more youths and we managed to rescue many who were stuck in the mud and on trees,” he said.

Waigwa said that some youths were nearly swept away by the floods but that did not deter them from rescuing the residents who were trapped.