In Nairobi County’s Mathare North, heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding, leaving at least six residents unaccounted for.
The torrential downpours on Tuesday night forced many people out of their homes, driving them to seek safety on rooftops.
George Aguko, a local resident, explained to Citizen Digital that the flooding began around 2:00 a.m. when waters from the Nairobi River overflowed into their homes.
As the situation escalated, Aguko and his neighbors attempted to contact emergency services but struggled to get assistance.
“I reached out to the Kenya police in Ruaraka, and they contacted me in the morning after we got exhausted from calling,” Aguko said.
Despite these efforts, help was slow to arrive, and many felt abandoned by the very services designed to protect them.
Aguko described how they tried contacting the Kenya Red Cross and the County Government for assistance, but their calls went unanswered on the available emergency hotlines.
“All those rescue teams that we are advised to call in case of such an incident ignored our calls,” he said.
As the floodwaters started to recede, some residents could leave their precarious rooftop refuges, but others remained trapped in their flooded homes.
Compounding the dangers, some power lines in the area were submerged, adding a significant risk of electrocution to the already dire circumstances.
However, by press time, emergency response teams from the Kenya Red Cross and Nairobi County had arrived on the scene to lead rescue operations.
Starahe sub-county police commander Fred Abuga confirmed that rescue teams were actively working to address the crisis in Mathare.
As the emergency response efforts continue, residents remain hopeful that the missing individuals will be found and that assistance will arrive more quickly in future incidents.
