Police officer missing as floods submerge Kenya’s capital

Author: Chany Ninrew | Published: Monday, March 25, 2024

A flooded residential area in Nairobi. (Photo/Citizen Digital).

Torrential rains submerged critical transport routes in parts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Sunday as a police officer rescuing trapped residents was swept away in running water, local media reported.

According to Citizen Digital, the police officer disappeared in raging floodwaters in Nairobi’s Country Bus station while helping to rescue four people trapped by the flash floods.

“David Chesire, from Kamukunji Police Station, was in the company of his colleagues when they came across three women and a child trapped in one of the stalls where a concrete slap had caved in,” Citizen reported.

It was indicated that the incident happened at 10 pm, when the officer was trying to close the stalls after rescuing four people – when the remaining concrete slap caved in, taking him away.

A search and rescue operation are reportedly ongoing for the officer who went missing with his AK-47 rifle.

Local media reported chaotic Sunday evening when heavy downpours led to flash floods in some parts of the city resulting in a flooded expressway way, as motorists drove through flood waters.

Other flooded parts include South C and Ruai as neighbourhoods remained semi-submerged for the better part of the night, according to Citizen Digital.

Data from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) shows that the rains will stretch to Wednesday as most parts of the country will experience heavy rains.

The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) also predicted a higher probability of early wetter-than-normal conditions across most parts of the Greater Horn of Africa from March to May 2024.

ICPAC said the countries expected to experience wetter conditions are Kenya, Somalia, southern Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and north-western Tanzania.

The scientific center said the highest probabilities for wetter than usual conditions are indicated in central to western Kenya and in the cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

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