Newspapers on Monday, March 9, continue to report on the massive floods in Nairobi, highlighting the increase in deaths and the frantic search of families struggling to find their loved ones who are still missing.
Source: UGC
1. The Standard
This publication reports that Kenya’s predicted heavy rainy season is gradually disappearing, leaving farmers, planners and communities grappling with increasing uncertainty.
For decades, most Kenyans could expect the weather from memory. The long rain usually starts in March while the short rain occurs in October.
Farmers planted crops around these familiar patterns, and industries such as construction, transportation and education quietly adjusted their schedules to match the seasonal cycle, but that trust is fading.
The trend of rain has become erratic. In some seasons, the rains are delayed for several weeks or stop suddenly.
At other times, they come as sudden and severe storms that quickly dissipate with a recent advisory from the Kenya Meteorological Department warning that several counties could receive more than 30 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, raising concerns about floods and landslides.
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Meanwhile, other regions are still waiting for meaningful rain to start. This pattern of migration is already disrupting life as farmers often prepare their land in anticipation of rain, but the clouds disappear. In other cases, heavy rains wash away newly planted seeds or erode fertile soil, forcing farmers to restart their planting cycle.
Agricultural experts are now urging farmers to adjust their planting calendars and focus on drought-tolerant crops as seasonal patterns become more reliable.
Climate scientists attribute these changes in part to global climate change and according to Kenya Meteorological Department climate scientist Patricia Nying’uro, rising temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, causing rain to fall in shorter but more intense bursts.
Large-scale ocean systems, including El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, also affect wind circulation and moisture flow in East Africa. The result is what scientists call East Africa’s climate paradox: although the region may be generally rainy, rain is expected to come in shorter, heavier periods separated by long dry spells.
2. Daily Nation
According to the publication, a sudden downpour on Friday afternoon in Nairobi turned deadly, causing death, destruction as families were left searching for their missing loved ones.
For many residents, the day had started normally as the workers finished their daily activities and waited for the rain to subside before heading home.
But as the hours passed, the heavy rains turned into dangerous floods that disrupted unsuspecting travelers and residents across the city. Among those reported missing is Beatrice Tuju, a mother of four who left home earlier that day to go to work in Grogon along Kirinyaga Road. According to her close friend and neighbour, Lillian Akinyi, the two remained in constant contact as the situation worsened in the evening.
Speaking at Makafani in Nairobi, Akinyi recalled their last conversation, describing moments of fear and despair as the floods continued to rise.
He said he spoke to Tuju several times during the night, including phone calls at 7pm, 9pm and later at 11pm, when his friend sounded very worried.
The last call came around midnight.
“I spoke to him at 7 pm and 9 pm. He was available, and I also contacted him at 11 pm. But in our last conversation when I was calling to check on him, he said that he might not be able to,” Akinyi said.
With a trembling voice, Tuju is said to have told his friend that the water was rising fast and that he feared he would not survive.
His last offensive words, Akinyi said, were a desperate plea as the floodwaters surrounded him.
“Our last conversation was at 12, and he told me that he was dying. “My sister, I’m dying. The water is rising,” those were the last words,” Akinyi said.
Since Saturday, family and friends have been looking for Tuju, but his whereabouts are still unknown.
3. Nation Today
According to a Kiswahili newspaper, the Sameri Park Police Station located in Kitengela, Kajiado county, has remained in a state of confusion almost two years after police officers were deployed to the station, raising concerns about poor infrastructure and possible misuse of public funds.
Inside the dimly lit building, officers rely on candles, flashlights and portable lights to carry out their duties after the station’s power went out about a year ago. An officer revealed that the situation has forced them to use their own money for basic needs such as candles while describing life at the station as difficult and humiliating.
The police station, which includes three officers’ quarters, a water tank and an underground sewage tank, also has no running water despite being within a compound served by the Tanathi water project. Officials reportedly bought water for personal use and maintained cleanliness at the facility.
The dire situation has also raised security concerns. In a recent incident, the suspect reportedly fainted inside the poorly ventilated room, forcing officers to break down part of the wall to rescue him.
Leaders and residents of the area have criticized the management of the project, especially the KSh5 million expansion funded through the East Kajiado Constituency Development Fund in the financial year 2022/2023.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
