A Toyota Land Cruiser cruises through a muddy road in Marsabit. Rains currently pounding the county have killed six people. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Six people and over 200 livestock were on Tuesday night swept away and killed as floods wreaked havoc in Marsabit County.
The six who perished included a woman and her three children. The other three were children who died separately as the floods roared in villages bordering river Ileret.Ileret chief Michael Moroto told the media there were fears the floods could increase as rains continue to pound the mostly arid and semi-arid far-flung county that borders Ethiopia on the Northern part.Moroto called on government to avail drugs to help avert a possible cholera outbreak following the floods. He said most residents affected do not have access to clean water.“It is sad we lost six people. The river (Ileret) has flooded because of heavy rains. We are yet to ascertain the number of those displaced. However, we appeal to people living along the river bank to move to higher grounds to avoid more deaths,” Chief Moroto said.Marsabit borders Ethiopia, home to the Ethiopian highlands which usually receive high amounts of rainfall. Some water that runs down the mountains because of the flat topography finds its way into Marsabit County- flooding Kenyan rivers that originate from the Kenya-Ethiopia border.Marsabit becomes the second county to be hit by floods in less than one month following a similar scenario in Wajir County in early May where floods swept across Wajir town disrupting businesses and transport.Moroto said the floods had hampered movement in lose surface roads already damaged by the running water. He told residents to take advantage of the rains when they subside to plant food crops and conserve the water for livestock consumption.