The Kenya Government has announced an emergency renovation of over 190 high-risk dams in the country following the recent flooding disaster.
The Ministry of Interior in a statement, on Thursday, said there are 151 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers actively engaged in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County where 52 corpses were retrieved.
On Wednesday, nearly 100 tourists were reported among people marooned after a river overflowed in Kenya’s famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve following a heavy downpour.
Advertisement
The incident which led to the death of dozens of villagers worsened when a dam near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley about 40 miles north of the capital, Nairobi burst.
With the minister’s confirmation, the death toll from Kenya’s heavy downpours and floods has hit 188 in various parts of the country.
The minister said, “As a result, the country has regrettably recorded 188 fatalities due to severe weather conditions,”
Subsequently, the country is still in search of 90 persons, with 125 injured and approximately 165,500 displaced by the heavy floods.
Speaking of safety measures currently rolled out, the minister said, “A tracing desk has been set up at the Masai Mara Sekenani Gate. 400 National Youth Service (NYS) have also been deployed to reinforce the ongoing search and rescue operations in Mai Mahiu and the Talek Area.
“Presently, a nationwide assessment of all dams is underway with inspection teams dispatched to ascertain the integrity of 192 dams identified to be high risk.”
The government also disclosed that the affected Mai Mahiu-Narok Road has been cleared and opened for traffic movement.
Emergency response teams alongside the Narok County Security team and Red Cross have successfully evacuated 90 individuals in coordinated efforts by ground and aerial units in the Masai Mara where 19 lodges were flooded after River Talek overflowed.