Flash Floods witnessed at Kinungi
On 26th April 2019, we were travelling from Naivasha town to Nairobi City. It was drizzling but on reaching Kinungi area, the rain intensified a large volume of water carrying debris flew from the surrounding hills to the low-lying highway.
Due to the flash floods, a lot of debris was deposited on the road and on the trenches on the side of the road and on the tarmac. This caused a huge traffic snarl-up. This was a sight to behold.
Despite the challenging situation, Nakuru County government responded quickly by dispatching an earth mover to clear the debris from the road and improve drainage system.
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If you think this is a river, flowing on its course downstream, then you are wrong. This are flash floods. This is Kinungi area along the Nakuru-Nairobi road. (Video 345);
This earth-mover belongs to Nakuru County government located along the Rift Valley. The operator of this heavy equipment seems to be undecided on where to start with his intervention. He decided to set it aside and assess the situation first.
The water is aggressively flowing down stream. This type of water can be dangerous and can even claim human lives. The water is similar to that which killed a woman and her daughter in Kibera informal settlements. My advice to all viewers is: stay away from flash floods and I assure you that you will be safe.
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These flash floods have even a bigger impact when they get to Naivasha town. It causes havoc on business and residential areas. I witnessed it first hand from the way they were constructing the storm water infrastructure within the town CBD.
