The rains have been pounding Mombasa hard in the last few days. The situation has been compounded by the poor drainage around the town and suburbs which has resulted in flooding and death due to a mudslide. The county government was forced to warn people in some low lying areas of the danger of flash floods.
Residents of Bamburi, Kiembeni, Utange and Mvita were among the worst hit by the floods. Speaking in a local radio station, the County Executive for land, Mr. Francis Thoya warned that blockage of water pathways due to land grabbing and construction was a major problem in Mombasa and was worsening the flooding. He promised that the county government will start pulling down structures that are built illegally and impeding the drainage.
Here are some of the images from various parts of Mombasa that were affected by the floods.
A car wades through a flooded part of town
Residents unite to frantically dig up drainage trenches to save their houses from flooding.
A flooded section of the Bamburi Kiembeni Road
Residents wade across the Utange – Bamburi road where a seasonal river path has been blocked by buildings
A major supermarket chain is one of the tenants at a building that stands in the way of a seasonal stream.
County government bulldozers demolish an illegal wall that was damming the water in Kiembeni.
The demolition of the illegal structures continued late into the night to ease the flooding.
Bringing down the wall opened up waterways and roads were made usable for motorists.
Affected residents are sheltered at a local school by the county government and provided with meals as the situation is monitored.
County executive member Fatma Awale assists children from displaced families.
County disaster management team was at hand to help residents affected pump water out of their dwellings through the night.