Nairobi's Urban Plan Needs Serious Audit to Avoid Deaths Caused by Floods, City Politician

 

A section of leaders has called on President William Ruto to declare floods a national disaster as part of his commitment to mitigate the devastating effects of heavy rainfall. City politician and philanthropist Agnes Kagure called on leaders to conduct an audit on Nairobi's urban plan and correct the wrongs to avert cases of flood deaths. Floods death toll in Kenya The floods in most parts of the country have displaced thousands of Kenyans and destroyed unquantifiable amounts of property. The Nairobi Metropolitan Area, which comprises Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, and Machakos counties, is among the most affected regions.  Citizen TV, citing the Kenya Red Cross Society, reported that the death toll from floods had risen to 49 on Wednesday, April 24. Opposition leader Raila Odinga called on Ruto to involve paramilitary, police, and military personnel to offer humanitarian assistance to Kenyans affected by floods. Overcoming floods in Nairobi Condoling the families of the bereaved and those displaced by floods, Nairobi politician and philanthropist Agnes Kagure said the floods had exposed the weak points of the country's capital. She observed that the impact of the floods would have been less if basic aspects of Nairobi's urban plan had been implemented according to the regulations guiding urban development, taking into consideration people's lives. "My heart goes out to all the people affected by the floods in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya. It is truly heartbreaking to see homes, businesses, and roads submerged in filthy water, causing distress and posing many risks to our people," she said.  The philanthropist who founded the Agnes Kagure Foundation called on Kenyans to urgently offer personal interventions to help the affected compatriots. What's the long-term solution for the Nairobi floods? She added that rescuing Nairobi from flood deaths would take correcting the mistakes made in the past and investing in more resilient infrastructure. "While considering intervention options in our private capacities, it is prudent to note that the flooding in Nairobi calls for comprehensive urban planning audits and new investments in resilient infrastructure," she said. According to Kagure, a lack of foresight while addressing the situation would only expose Kenyans to more suffering. "We cannot afford to let such disasters recur time and again due to negligence and lack of foresight while we watch helplessly. It is never too late to fix the planning mishap and rework our drainage systems. 

by  Michael Ollinga Oruko