At least six people have died and hundreds of families in Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta displaced by flood following heavy rains that have hit Coast region.
And in Muranga, two minor are reported to have drowned as they tried to cross a swollen River Kairo in Mathioya on Sunday.
The two, Maurine Nyaguthii and Timothy Mwangi, who were form three students at Kiamuturi Secondary school, are said to be crossing the river using a makeshift bridge when the strategy occurred.
Area chief Issac Wahome said another girl who was in the company of the two escaped death by a whisker as she was saved by residents who responded to her alarm. The bodies were retrieved hours later and taken to mortuary.
In the Mombasa tragedy, the family members died after they were hit by a collapsing wall at Mbaraki area in Mombasa. The bodies of the victims were trapped in the rubble and it took rescuers from the Kenya Red Cross, Mombasa county askaris and the police hours to retrieve them.
Among the dead was a woman and her four children and a man who were in a semi permanent structure put up next to a perimeter fence. The structure was hit by the collapsing wall which caved in due to heavy rain that has been pounding Mombasa since last week.
The deceased man was a roasted cassava seller who was the owner of the structure.
Joseph Bangu Mwanduka, said her deceased sister had traveled from Rabai to seek medication at Padya memorial hospital but met her death when the hospital wall caved in on a temporary structure where they were taking a rest.
“I was called at around 2pm by a friend and told my sister and her children have died. She had traveled from Mkapuni in Rabai to get medical treatment at Padya memorial hospital when she met her death,” said Mwanduka.
“We request the government to help us facilitate the burial arrangements since our family is very poor,” he added.
Mombasa County Secretary Francis Thoya said the county has mapped out four flood hotspots and urged residents living in those area to vacate to safer grounds.
Among the hotspots are Kalahari in Changamwe, Aldina, Burukenge and Bagladesh slums. He said the county will open rescue centers to relocate those who will be affected by the floods.
“We urge those people living in areas prone to floods to move to safer areas as the Mombasa county looks for alternative areas to relocate them,” said Thoya.
Kenya Red Cross county coordinator Mohamed Rajab said at least floods have been reported in Junda Mishomoroni, Kibarani in Changamwe and Kalahari in Changamwe areas. Other areas affected include Bombolulu, Kiembeni, Bamburi, Likoni among other areas.
In Kilifi, the floods have also paralysed transport between Mombasa and Kilifi after Mbogolo river bridge was washed away by water rendering the highway impassable.
The ranging floods forced River Mbogolo to burst its banks forcing families leaving near the seasonal river to flee from their homes.
A Public Service Vehicle driver Amir Salim who was headed to Malindi from Mombasa-Malindi said the bridge was washed away by the floods at around 2.30pm.
“We reached Mbogolo river and found the bridge already washed away by the floods. The road is impassable and we had to return to Mombasa,” he said.
Hundreds of vehicles and passengers remain stranded in their vehicles on both sides of the road.
Later as the waters subsided, two huge cracks emerged from the two ends of the bridge, signaling a disaster in waiting.