This Is What Caused The Mai Mahiu Killer Flash Floods

The Ministry of Water and Sanitation has revealed the reason behind the killer flash flood in Mai Mahiu that has so far claimed 71 lives and left many injured.

Water washed away several homes in the wee hours of Monday morning prompting emergency responses from the national and county governments who have camped at the premise for the last 24 hours.

In a statement to newsrooms, Water Cabinet Secretary (CS) Zechariah Njeru said that the incident was a result of a blocked railway line tunnel preventing proper flow of water through River Tongi.

“The channel got blocked due to debris, stones, trees and soil brought about by the heavy downpour in the area thereby preventing water flowing through the River Tongi course and its small tributaries to move downstream,” said Njeru.

He added that the river and its tributaries then burst its banks at a high pressure which swept the railway line and flowed downstream at a high speed causing the destruction witnessed.

Njeru also clarified that the area has no dam, as cited in several reports, saying that the only dam in the premise is Matches Dam and it is located upstream, far from the affected premise.

READ MORE When they arrived at the scene, they were astonished to find a cooking pot filled with meat and some vegetables. At the scene, was a human skull and blood-stained clothes as well as the deceased's gumboots. Police interrogated the suspect on his father's whereabouts but he noted that he was also unaware as he was still searching for him. The rest of the missing body parts first spotted by the locals was found dumped in a sack and covered with stones inside Nithi River. One of the area residents who claimed that the suspect began digging the tunnel in 2017 stated that the suspect and his victim had an argument about the condition of the tunnel before he went missing. "The two had quarrelled after the man stopped his father from cutting the Napier grass around the tunnel," Johnson Mutembei a resident told a local publication. The suspect is currently in custody pending arraignment in court to face murder charges. "We have arrested a man who is suspected to have killed his father, cooked part of the body and hidden some in a tunnel," Muthambi Sub-County Police Commander stated.

Most parts of the nation have in the last few days experienced massive floods following heavy downpours, leading to massive loss of lives, injuring of others and displacement of people.

As of Monday evening, government figures showed that 166 people had died from flooding since heavy rains began in most of Kenya in March.

Kenyans residing in flood prone areas have been urged to take heed to cautionary measures for their own safety.