Grief as State hosts funeral service for 62 victims of Mai Mahiu tragedy

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua joins leaders in mourning victims of the Mai Mahiu flood tragedy during a funeral service in Nakuru on May 9, 2024. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

A somber mood engulfed the Mai Mahiu area in Naivasha Sub-county as Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua led Kenyans in mourning 62 victims of the recent deluge that left a trail of destruction.

Tears flowed at the venue of the funeral service where photos of those who lost their lives in the tragedy were pinned on a board.

Portraits of the Mai Mahiu flood tragedy victims hang on a wall during the May 9 funeral service. [George Njunge, Standard]

Leaders among them sitting governors, Senators, Members of Parliament and local ward representatives queued and stopped briefly to pay their last respects to the victims.

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika led local leaders, family members, relatives, and hundreds of mourners – in mourning the victims, saying her administration will continue to assist the families who lost their loved ones and the survivors.

Family members of the 62 Mai Mahiu tragedy victims during the funeral service in Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Present at the memorial are Water Cabinet Secretary Zacharia Njeru, Nyandarua Governor Moses Ndirangu Badilisha, Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja, Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, her Gilgil counterpart Martha Wangare, Dagoretti MP Beatrice Elachi, among others.

The death toll in the flood tragedy has risen to 62, and over 30 people are still missing.

Families have called on the government to hasten the resettlement process as life in the camp was unbearable.

DP Rigathi Gachagua joins leaders in mourning victims of the Mai Mahiu flood tragedy during a funeral service in Nakuru on May 9, 2024. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]